Past, present, friendship
by Jasmin 0583
Summary: Picks up a couple of days after the movie ended. As the day of the wedding draws closer, there's one guest who never received an invitation... Dastan/OC, Dastan/Tamina **Final chapter up **
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone. Saw Prince of Persia in the theatre five times now (as you can tell I can't get enough of it) and I just love this course I couldn't resist to write a fanfic. Have a couple of others up my sleeve but I can only write so fast :-P. As I said I really enjoyed the movie and I wanted to dive in with a story. This should be a bout 30 to 40 chapters long. Sorry but it'll take a few chapters for it to pick up in pace and reveal all the relationships described. Hope you like it - please review, reviews ALWAYS make my day :-)

**Prince of Persia -Past, present and friendship **

The sky was still a dark blue and the sun hadn't even come up yet when Keyla woke up. Soon the sky would turn a bright purple, then a light blue and then the sun would come up on the royal city of Nasaf. It was Tuesday today and that was always her favorite day of the week. It was the day of the big weekly market in the city and with all the merchants - foreign and local - and so many people out on the streets running errands for their masters, shopping for their families or just gossiping, it was easy to sneak in and take what she needed for her daily life.

Some people might have considered here life hard and in no way enjoyable at all but Keyla didn't agree with that. She lived in the slums of the royal town and the place she called her home could not really be considered a house anymore. It was more of a ruin. Half of it had simply just fallen apart at least half a decade ago. The structure of the place was old and made from inferior material and with the decay through times it had simply fallen apart. Maybe it wasn't structurally sound but as nobody else wanted to go even near it, she had it all to herself.

She pushed her thin linen blanket aside and got up from the cot she was sleeping on. The house - or ruin to be exact - had two stories, the lower one having a small but deep well that she used for cleaning herself up and washing her clothes. It was sort of her bathroom. The upper floor was closed off from view with a thick linen curtain where once had been a wall before half of the place had collapsed. It gave a great view of the palace if she pulled it aside but Keyla barely ever did. She didn't like seeing the palace. This was her life and she was happy with it. The palace only ever managed to show her what she could not have.

She pulled the black cotton kurta - something she had taken from an Indian merchant and that she loved to wear as she felt so very comfortable in it - she used as her nightgown over her head and walked over to the small wooden chest that - apart from her cot, a small low table and a couple of cushions - was the only piece of furniture in her room. She opened it up and sighed softly, chewing on her lower lip. She really needed some new clothes... She pulled a pair of white harem pants, a maroon blouse and a thin silky maroon piece of cloth to cover her hair.

She wrapped the cloth around her body and took another, smaller linen cloth as a towel to get downstairs and clean herself up. Getting downstairs however was sort of a problem because the staircase that lead to the upper floor had collapsed with the rest of that side of the house. Keyla however had a way of coming up and down and as she lived here - pretty much unknown for anyone else - she was the only one knowing about it. She pushed the small rope ladder down from near the whole in the ground leading to the lower floor where the staircase had once been.

She climbed to the lower floor and took the wooden cover off the well, using the bucket standing beside it to draw water from the well and cleaned herself up, using the towel to dry her face again. She carefully emptied the bucket and hurried to get back up to her room after putting the cover back on the well. Nobody had seen her. When she was back upstairs and had pulled the rope ladder back up, she took the clothes she had put out for herself and got dressed. The sun had come up by now, the sky a deep purple. It had to be about 6 in the morning now. It was time for her to go and start her day. She was hungry, she needed breakfast.

She sat down on the cot once more after getting dressed, pulled her hair up front and braided it into a ponytail so it would not be in her way. She reached underneath her cot, pulling a small but very sharp dagger from it that she hid underneath her blouse, before putting on the silk cloth as a veil to hide the dagger even better. She never left her home without this weapon. Walking through the slums of Nasaf as a woman alone without a weapon was a very carefree and stupid thing to do...

Even though it was still this early in the morning there were already a lot of people up and about roaming the streets of Nasaf, even here in the slums of the city. Keyla disliked being seen by so many people - or any of the patrolling guards and soldiers to be exact. She had another way of going about though. She pulled the wooden ladder that was leaned against the still existing wall of her room to the middle of the room, leaning it against the small ledge that surrounded the wooden door in the ceiling that lead up there. She climbed up the ladder and opened the door, getting through it and closing it behind her. She was now on the ceiling of her home and from here she would be able to get to the market of Nasaf without anyone noticing her.

She pulled the veil from her head again and tied the silk cloth around her hips, securing the dagger and not having it in her way. She took a deep breath and a soft grin appeared upon her lips as she focused her attention on the nearest rooftop next to her house that lead her way to the market of the royal city. She walked to the far edge of the ceiling of her house... and then she started to run. She jumped of the roof and landed on the other side, sliding a bit further and coming to a halt. She had done this hundredth of time already but still she always felt an adrenaline rush when she did this.

It always happened only on that first jump though. The rest of it felt a lot like routine to her. She had to take a small jump from here to the next three roofs, to a part of the old city wall before jumping down to a stable from where she got down to a small alley that was only another street away from the market. All she still had to do now was to find someone suitable so that her day could start and she could take care of her daily... work.

She needed to find a suitable stranger now, somebody who was not living here, who was just traveling through the royal town and who she would never see again. She could not risk to find someone who might recognize her later on or who knew the inner working of the city and would alert a soldier or a guard. A stranger was exactly what she needed and as this was the royal city of Nasaf, the capital of the Persian Empire and it was the day of the market, she would have no trouble whatsoever to find someone suitable.

She needed to get up on a rooftop for that again though to get a good overview. She walked back to the stable, breaking into a run on the way, jumped against the wall of the stable, took enough drive to get up on the other side as well and grabbed a small ledge above her head, pulling herself up and reached for the edge of the ceiling, getting back up. She didn't get up but stayed on her knees and looked out on the market place. It was probably a couple of minutes past seven now and the market was already filling up now that the sun had come up and it was time for all the booths to open.

She had a close eye on the people walking around. It was easy to tell who of them was local and who wasn't. Keyla had to grin when she found the perfect candidate. He was wearing brightly colored silk clothes and a pretty ridiculous turban. He was either Mongolian or Indian and definitely a nobleman. The way he... pranced around the market place told her all too clearly that this man had no idea what a normal life was like. This man had never worked a day in his life, she was sure of that. He was a perfect candidate.

She wanted to get up and back down from the roof now to find a way to attract the man's attention and lure him to follow her to this alley. But she was lucky. She didn't even need to get him here, she didn't even need to talk to him and find an excuse to make him come with her. He was coming this way. She had no idea why because it didn't make any sense whatsoever for this stranger to come here but maybe he was just lost. She didn't care though. This was perfect timing for her.

She carefully watched the man coming closer and closer and waited until he had passed her by. He hadn't seen her, hadn't even looked up, obviously not even feeling her presence. She carefully reached for the dagger at the back of her pants and pulled it out. She walked up to the edge of the ceiling. She knelt back down, held onto the edge of the ceiling and lowered her body back down. It strained her arm and it was still a deep fall but she could take it. She landed on her feet with a soft thud but the nobleman still didn't realize. It was almost too easy. She was right behind him with two large steps and pressed the dagger against his throat, keeping her voice low and deep, barely more than a threatening hiss.

"Give me your moneybag if you want to live."

She could feel the man trembling but still he tried to do the one thing that instinct told him - he tried to turn around to get a good look at the person that was attacking him. Keyla pressed the dagger harder against his throat and she could hear the man gasp. He was afraid and that was a good thing because it lead to him doing exactly what she wanted him to do. With trembling fingers he reached underneath the brightly colored kurta he was wearing and pulled out the bag she had forced him to give to her, handing it to her without even trying to look at her once more.

"Thank you."

Keyla pulled up her arm in which she held the dagger and let the handle of it crash down on her victim's head. It gave a soft thud when the hard medal connected with the noblemen's skull and he broke down unconscious without giving a single sound. Keyla grinned to herself. It would take at least half an hour before the foreign traveler would wake up again and in this remote alley, nobody would find him before that. It was all the time she needed. The moneybag was weighing heavy in her hands and Keyla grinned to herself. There had to be more money in that bag than a hardworking citizen of this town earned in at least three months. It had been a good morning so far...

Now she would put that money to good use. She wanted supplies and food and maybe she would even allow herself some luxury and buy new clothes or some jewelry or perfume... Or maybe she would just steal those things... Luxuries was not something to invest money into in her eyes. She barely ever had a chance to wear jewelry or fancy clothes anyway. But when she did not pay for it but just took it... maybe she would be feeling better about it. She would debate it once more when she would have finished with all her other errands... Keyla had one last look at her unconscious victim before she stashed both the money and the dagger away and pulled the cloth she had wrapped around her hips away and put it back on as a veil.

She carefully left the alley where the unconscious traveler lay, looking out for any guards who might see her. If somebody went looking to see from where she had come, they might found the nobleman and then she would be in trouble. But when she left the alley, there was noone to be seen and she reached the market without any trouble. There were a lot of people around by now but Keyla didn't mind. This way she could just blend in. She decided on a large booth where the merchant sold fruit and vegetables and different sorts of bread as well. She would get almost everything she needed from this booth. A little bit of meat and cheese and maybe some sweets seemed a good idea as well. She needed at least two to three other booths for that though.

Keyla didn't want to stay here very long. It had been almost ten minutes since she had left the unconscious traveler and she needed to have left this place before the man woke up again. She still drove a hard bargain trading with the merchants. Even though the bag held a lot of money she still needed to be careful with spending it. Attacking a rich merchant or a nobleman was always dangerous and the less often she had to do it, the better. She hurried to finish her shopping and was already on her way back when she passed a booth where two women sold cloth and embroideries and the conversation she overheard made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Did you hear the news from Alamut? Prince Dastan is to be married to Alamut's princess Tamina. She's supposed to be one of the most beautiful woman in the whole of the kingdom... It's a great honor. The merchants and soldiers coming from Alamut say the plans for a big wedding ceremony have already begun. It will be marvelous, something never to be seen before..."

Keyla had almost joined in on the conversation, jumping in with a question. She stared at the two women with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. This just couldn't be possible... She shook her head and almost winced when one of the two women talked to her now, obviously believing she could make a sale on Keyla.

"Is there anything that interest you young lady. Maybe a fine piece of embroided silk cloth? Makes for a fine dress... Or maybe a veil?"

"No, I... I'm not... are you sure about what you just said?"

"About the cloth?"

The woman seemed confused and Keyla could understand. She wasn't making much of any sense right now but she had a hard time to even collect her thoughts at this moment. She still couldn't believe what she had overheard was the truth and she could not repeat it. It sounded too senseless and unbelievable for her to even repeat what those women had been gossiping about. But it seemed the female merchant was absolutely sure. She was nodding her head vehemently, smiling happily at Keyla.

"No. About the princess of Alamut and..."

"Oh yes, I am sure. News arrived this morning. A group of soldiers has returned from Alamut with a message for the king. He will be leaving for his son's wedding this afternoon, so we were told. Isn't this wonderful news?"

"Yeah... Wonderful..."

Keyla didn't hear the woman call out to her again about her merchandise when she walked away now. She felt like she was... sort of in trance. She was definitely not thinking straight right now. Would she have been she would have hurried to finally leave the market place before her victim - who had to have woken up by now - alerted a guard and she would be arrested. She could not stop thinking about the gossip... or the truth as this women had proclaimed...

She had to make sure... somehow she had to make sure that what these women were saying had actually happened. Alamut was several hundred miles away from here and why would any soldier tell a couple of elderly female merchants anything... Maybe it was truly just gossip but there was only one way to find out. Keyla had to make sure herself. She had to get to Alamut - the sooner the better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: **

**Thanks for those of you who reviewed or put the story on alert. I hope there will be more reviews once the story picks up a little. Chapter 2 is on Keyla again but we're about to have our first encounter with Dastan and Tamina with the next update :-D. Hope you like it - please keep the reviews coming. **

Now that she had made a decision, Keyla's mind started to work again and she realized with horror how carefree she had been to stay on the market for so long. The foreign traveler certainly was either searching for her or some guard he could tell his misfortune to. She needed to get away from here. As important as leaving for Alamut and confirming what she had just heard from the two women was to her, she needed to stay free to achieve that. Avoiding an arrest was the best way to achieve that.

She hated the fact that she had to take a direct route through the streets and alleys of the slums. A woman alone, especially one carrying this many groceries was an easy target. But being loaded with the merchandise she had bought, getting back the way she had come here - on rooftops - was not an option. She knew the streets of the slums, she had grown up there and she knew how to defend herself. Maybe she was just being paranoid anyway. It was a cliche that one could not enter the slums without being attacked or robbed. Actually most of the people living in this part of town were occupied enough already with taking care of their own every day struggle for survival as to care too much for other people. As long as they were left alone, they left everyone else alone. Of course there were always exceptions but Keyla was sure she would be able to avoid those.

What she needed right now was a plan - a good and a quick plan because she did not want to lose any more time. If the soldiers had actually come back bearing a message for the king and the two women on the market had been right and king Sharaman would be leaving for Alamut today, she needed to hurry. She wanted to be in Alamut before the king arrived, before that wedding - if there truly was one to be held - would take place. She needed to make sure before everything would be over. She needed a chance to talk...

It took her longer, which actually Keyla had no time for right now as she wanted to leave as soon as possible, but still she kept to the small back alleys to get back to her home. This way she barely ran into any of the citizens of this quarter of Nasaf and she reached the ruin that was her home without running into any trouble. Maybe she had been too nervous. She was actually surprised she had made it back here without any trouble from guards or thieves or other criminals. In all her life it had maybe happened four or five times that she had been close to getting arrested or had to fight of an attack from some sort of criminal pack. All in all her life had been pretty uneventful - at least in that regard.

In the alley that was right next to her house, Keyla pulled of the cloth she had used as a veil and made a crude bag out of it, stuffing all of her shopping items into it and then tied it around her upper body. The only way to get back into the house was through the trap door on th roof, which meant she had to get up there now. She would never be as careless to let the rope ladder down when she wasn't here, even if it would have been easier to get back home this way.

The house next to hers was a ruin as well - as it had been damaged when her place, or half of her place to be exact, had collapsed years ago - and nobody lived there any more. Keyla was lucky this way and it was one of the main reasons why she had chosen this spot as a place to live. Nobody ever came here and it was easily accessible without people actually noticing that she came and went. The staircase in the other ruin was still intact - at least to a certain extent, some of the steps were to weak to set foot on and some of them had already broken through.

But Keyla knew very well where to step to get up on the roof without injuring herself. She reached the rooftop of the house and reached for the small wooden board that lay right next to the edge of the roof. She adjusted it so that it was now forming a passageway between this and her house and carefully walked over it before pulling the board in on her side of the house and using the trap door and the ladder to get back to her room.

She pulled of her bag and emptied all it's contents on the cot, spreading them out. If only she had known about that wedding rumor earlier... Most of the things she had bought were pretty much useless on the trip she was planning to make. She could not take fresh fruit or vegetables with her but neither could she store them until she was back... With her newly found plan of leaving for Alamut, most of her shopping had been pretty pointless. Keyla sighed softly.

"Damn you, Dastan..."

Maybe it wasn't a completely lost cause, maybe she would be able to trade some of those things. If she wanted to get to Alamut and if she wanted to get their fast so that she would arrive before the king, she needed a good horse. It would have been safer to travel in a group, with a caravan of some sort, Keyla knew that but she couldn't do that. She didn't have the time... And apart from that she couldn't risk to travel with a guarded caravan, chances were that one of the soldiers or guards recognized her... It was too dangerous. Of course traveling all alone - especially as a woman - was dangerous as well but Keyla was willing to risk that.

Even though these were the slums of Nasaf, there were a couple of good places around here to trade and buy things. She knew of a merchant with his own stable, selling good horses very close to her living place. She knew a good horse when she saw one but getting this merchant to trade her a horse for the supplies she had bought maybe would be difficult... But she did not want to pay him in cash. The money she had stolen from the foreign traveler would be needed along the way. She couldn't spend it here... She could always steal a horse of course... Maybe that was the better solution... but that meant to wait until nightfall...

Keyla sighed and cursed again. She would trade the groceries she had bought for supplies she would need for her travels - food that would still be good if it had been packed into saddlebags for several days, water, blankets - and she would steal a horse and hopefully be able to leave the city through one of it's gates without getting arrested and losing a hand or even her head for her crimes. She had no time to lose... Keyla groaned softly, annoyance and frustration soundong from her voice and repacked her groceries before turning to the chest at the other end of the room. She didn't have many things to call her own but what little she had, she did not want to leave.

The only piece of jewelry she owned was a ring that had belonged to her mother and she had her father's sword, both of which she put down on the cot next to her shopping items. She changed again into a more sturdy pair of pants and a white linen shirt that was to wide for her - which was no surprise as it didn't actually belong to her. She packed a second shirt and pants and the only dress she had, a fine work of embroided silk that she had only worn once before... But if there was a wedding, proper attire seemed sort of necessary... A sarcastic chuckle escaped Keyla's lips thinking about that gossip again... It was just too unbelievable to be true... Maybe she would be making this whole trip for nothing... And if she did somebody would have to pay for it...

"Damn you, Dastan. You, your king, that stupid war and that princess..."

She took her two bundles with her groceries and her stuff, took the dagger and her father's swords, putting them onto the leather belt she had put on with her new attire and secured them. Would she have had a mirror she would have realized that she looked quite scary. Having her hair pulled up and hiding it underneath a dark bandana, with her sturdy clothes and her weapons she actually looked more like a young man than a woman. She was aware those clothes made her look more masculine. But for the trading she had still to do, this was a good thing.

She had one last look around the room she called her home before she climbed up the ladder to the trap door in the roof again. She felt like leaving all this behind but she knew that was an idiotic thing to think. She would be back in just a little while... Alamut and back here would take about eight to ten days, depending on how long she would stay in Alamut. It wasn't even two weeks and she would be back home... Keyla took a deep breath before closing the trap door and securing it. She took the board to walk over to the next house again and climbed down the staircase, getting out on the streets of the slums of Nasaf.

The merchant was a couple of streets away and there was an outpost of royal guards near the gate that lead out of the city. Those guards worked in four shifts, each of them for six hours, which meant that they would change shifts at noon. It was a perfect opportunity for Keyla to steal one of their horses. She knew the guards were provided with good horses and in the turmoil of the changing of the guard she had a good chance to get away with one of their horses without anyone noticing. At least she hoped so...

She walked the streets to the merchant's place where she wanted to trade her supplies and was surprised to find both grown women and especially children shying away from her. The glances she got from the men were half angry half threatened. It seemed she really left a rather... scary impression the way she looked now but she knew it was mostly due to her father's sword. He hadn't been a rich man but he had been a soldier in the Persian army and the sword she now called her own had been a gift from her father's commanding officer that he had given to him after a battle in which her father had saved said commander's life. It always made her grin sarcastically when she thought about how different her life would have been if her parents were still alive... She would have embraced the Persian royalty and bureaucracy, being a part of it more or less... Instead now she was fighting against it with everything she did in her daily life. To them she was a criminal after all and she was about to conduct yet another crime...

She reached the merchant's house and was surprised to find him so forthcoming when she entered. Maybe he was just as scared of her as the rest of the people out on the street and Keyla was glad to hear that apparently her clothes and the way she had been hiding her prominent features, fooled this man as well. He was mistaking her for a man as well.

"What can I do for you young master?"

"I came to trade those for supplies. I'm going... I have to travel east and I need food and water and whatever else is needed for such a trip."

"It would be easier to chose if I knew where exactly you were going. Would you tell me?"

"No."

The merchant seemed startled for a moment but he forced a smile on his face and nodded. He was definitely afraid of her... or of her weapons more so. At least that was what Keyla assumed. This was a good thing though. It would make trading easier for her. If the merchant was afraid she was dangerous and maybe even willing to fight him for what she wanted to have, he would hopefully be willing to trade what little she could offer him for some useful supplies.

"Let us have a look then."

She followed the merchant to his counter, making sure her father's sword always stayed in good view of the merchant's eyes. She certainly did not want him to forget why he was being so nice to her. She placed her bag of groceries on the counter and watched the merchant go through it. She could tell he had expected more and better things but he didn't say a thing. Instead he rummaged through his little store and came back with a couple of packages of dried fruit and meat, four bags of water and two woolen blankets. It wasn't much but it was all Keyla needed and it was actually more than she had expected to get for her groceries.

"That is all I can offer you."

"It's good. I'll take it."

"What about a horse?"

"Why? Do you have any?"

Keyla was actually surprised by the merchant's question. This was a store and she hadn't seen a stable nearby but then again she hadn't been looking out for one. If this man actually had horses - and given how afraid he had been of her so far - maybe she would be able to drive a hard bargain and get a horse without alarming the guards at the gates because she had stolen one. This would make her exit from the city way easier. Keyla eyed the man suspiciously and had to hide back a grin when he hurried to assure her.

"In fact I do. Do you want to have a look."

Keyla nodded her head and the merchant smiled a slick smile at her and lead the way to a backdoor of the store that was opening to the side of the building. Next thing Kelya knew, she found herself standing in a stable occupied by at least six horses. The merchant lead her to the entrance of the stable where a beautiful black stallion was tied to a medal ring on the wooden wall nervously prancing around. Keyla reached out a hand, gently caressing the horse's nostril and it calmed down almost immediately. Keyla smiled. It was a beautiful animal... She turned to face the merchant, her face all business again now.

"How much?

"The sword you're wearing."

"That sword is not for sale."

"Well then. 10 gold pieces."

Keyla had almost gasped when she heard the merchant's ridiculous price. She was already angry with him for having the audacity to ask for her father's sword but now he was only playing with her. It was a good horse but it certainly wasn't worth more than half the price the merchant asked for - and that was calculating in his favor. Keyla stared at him angrily and all of a sudden a plan formed in her head. She wanted that horse and she would get it - no matter what...

"I could buy at least for horses for that much money!"

"It is a really good horse!"

"How about I borrow the horse and bring it back when I'm done?"

"What?"

With one fluent motion, Keyla pulled her father's sword from her hip and rested it against the merchant's throat. She acted too quick for the man to even have a chance to counteract and he was just standing there, trembling, swallowing hard and trying to keep his rising panic under control. He succeeded but barely and Keyla could hear the fearful trembling in his voice when he finally found his speech again.

"How about it?"

"That... that sounds reasonable."

"Thank you good sir. Now turn around. Slowly."

The merchant stared at her with wide eyes but when Kelya put a little more pressure on his throat with the sword she was holding against it, he reacted instantly. She could tell he was afraid but she did not plan on killing him. Instead she rose her arm and forcefully let the sword's handle connect with them man's skull. It was the second time today that Keyla knocked down somebody and she knew she was being reckless. The foreign merchant would not be able to describe her and this merchant had taken her for a young man and probably would not go to the authorities anyway - he would not be a merchant in the slums of Nasaf if he could afford cooperating with the guards. But still she needed to be more careful. She wanted to get back here after all and she couldn't afford any trouble around here...

Keyla watched the merchant break down in his own stable right at her feet and stepped over him to get to the black stallion. The horse was remarkably calm like it had just watched the whole scene unfolding in front of it with interest. Keyla had to grin. This really was the perfect companion for her. She caressed the animal again and took one of the saddles at the opposite side of the stable, putting it on the horses back and securing it. She attached the harness and then put the supplies she had traded from the merchant on the back of the horse before untying the stallion.

"I think I'll call you _shanse_... And let's hope you'll actually bring me some luck..."

She patted the horse and then pulled herself into the saddle. The stallion was prancing again but only for a moment and Keyla had to grin as the horse carefully stepped over the merchant now. She had to bow down to pass through the stables door and then she was out on the street of the slums of Nasaf. The glances she got now seemed to be even more filled with fear now. It didn't happen very often that a traveler on a horse with weapons on his belt crossed the quarter. Keyla didn't pay any attention to the people though. She took the shortest path to the gate and arrived just when the guards were changing shifts. She was lucky. It was quite chaotic and nobody stopped her or even asked her a question. She passed the gate untroubled and was out of the city. Keyla took a deep breath. She was on her way...


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: Thanks so much for all your reviews and alerts people – you are making me one happy fanfic writer :-). As promised here's the next update with Dastan and Tamina. Hope you like it. **

The sacred city of Alamut seemed like it had been extinct and was now void of all life. But it was a common picture in the city coming noon. People normally didn't stay outside when the sun stood in it's zenith and burned down mercilessly. Even though alamut was a city famous for it's fountains and there was no problem with water supplies, it was still a very warm climate and nobody who could avoid going outside, spend any time out in the streets around noon and the next three to four following hours. The streets crowded again at night but right now they were deserted.

In the palace high above the city, what little bit of wind found it's way to the city was caught in the wide open windows and allowed a gentle breeze to go through the rooms. It was more bearable to get through those burning hot summer middays than it ever could have been down in the city where the heat seemed to just linger and stand still in between the small alleys. It was almost comfortable but only as long as one stayed inside one of the many chambers or hallways of the palace.

Princess Tamina - royal leader of the sacred city of Alamut and as of late engaged to the youngest of the three Persian princes who had asked for her hand in marriage, having the blessing of his oldest brother for it and giving her a gift she wasn't entirely sure he even knew how much it had meant to her and still did, was sitting on the edge of a bed in one of the guest chambers in the royal palace, smiling to herself and sipping on a cup of cold water from time to time. The two guards at the door told her her every action was being watched and even though the Persian Empire - through the oldest prince Tus - had declared peace upon her city there still was a certain... suspiciousness lingering in the air. The princess however had not planned on doing anything sinister. She was just... watching.

She had entered Prince Dastan's chamber - the man she was supposed to be married to in just a couple of days - about half an hour ago and ever since then she had been sitting here on the edge of his bed watching him sleep. It was a strange but satisfying experience to have a chance to watch him like this. He just seemed so much more... peaceful when he was sleeping. But it was only natural. After all he had no chance to talk back at her right now.

The princess found herself grinning. She still couldn't explain what exactly it was that she was feeling for the Persian prince but she knew deep in her heart that there was some deep rooted spiritual connection between them that ran deeper than any political thought or even love could have been. At times it felt like he knew her, knew things about her she had never told him, knew her like they had spent a lot more time together than those past three days... She felt like she had known him longer and deeper than those careful first steps of getting to know each other had allowed...

It were times like these when she though about what he had told her upon their first meeting. That he had found some sort of new spiritual consciousness upon coming to her sacred city and that even though it seemed it had only taken a short time, this city had managed to change him... Considering the "wedding present" he had presented her with, telling her he was only giving her back something that already belonged to her, Tamina sometimes wondered if Dastan knew more about the dagger and it's powers than he was supposed to... She didn't dare ask him though... Maybe one day when they were closer and had actually gotten a chance to grow as a couple... Even though the idea of marrying the Persian prince actually appealed to her, she was still worried where this union would lead... They were different... or maybe they weren't...

She shook her head in confusion and suppressed a sigh. It were exactly those thoughts that made her feel so strange around him. She tried to be the perfectly trained, noble woman she was supposed to be but prince Dastan seemed to know a side of her she was carefully trying to hide and that was just so similar to his own character. The adventurous, carefree, fast acting part of her that barely ever had a chance to get to the surface and that the Persian prince managed to get to whenever they did as much as talk to one another. She was happy for that... Actually it was more than that... she liked him for that, maybe - with time - would even love him for that...

"Have you been watching me, princess?"

Tamina winced when she heard Dastan's soft mocking tone. She had been so deeply lost in thought, she hadn't even realized the prince had woken up and had propped himself up on his elbows, now grinning at her. She felt like she had been caught doing something that was forbidden but she called herself stupid for even thinking of this. This was her palace and she had every right to be in her future husband's chamber for as long as she wanted. She quickly recovered from her initial feeling of surprise and gave him a soft smile, shaking her head gently.

"No. I have been watching over you. It's what a wife is supposed to do. Or so I've been told..."

"You're rehearsing then? You're not my wife yet."

"I thought we agreed that you would not mock me."

Dastan had been unable to keep the comment to himself. Just as during the time they had spent together when they had tried to safe the world from his uncle's treachery and prove his innocence in the events causing his father's death - things that had never even happened now that the dagger and the sand had turned back time and Dastan had been able to prevent all this - he enjoyed teasing Tamina. She looked absolutely adorable when she was angry with him, especially if she was trying to hide that anger as she did now. She was trying to be the perfect princess she was supposed to be and Dastan could tell how hard it was for her to achieve that...

He knew her well enough - even though Tamina had no idea about that - to know she actually was a lot more... impulsive than her title as princess would have allowed. He rose both hands in defeat and gave her a soft smile, apologizing for his behavior. She was a lady - he sometimes had to remind himself of that fact - and he was supposed to be a perfect gentleman around her. It wasn't always easy though. He felt so much closer to her than he really was...

"I apologize. How long was I asleep?"

"About 8 hours. It's almost noon now. You came back to the palace very early this morning. At least that's what the guards told me. I wouldn't know. I was asleep."

"Do I hear reproach in your voice, mylady?"

"You need to rest, prince."

"And you need to stop worrying princess. One might believe you are actually happy with this union the way you are caring for me."

She was rolling her eyes now. She had tried to turn her face so he would not see but she hadn't been quick enough and Dastan had to grin. Teasing her was just so easy and it was too much fun to stop it. She was looking for composure, trying to be a perfect princess but still he could hear the muttered little curse that escaped her lips. He chuckled a little, sat up completely and grabbed her hand now, giving her a warm smile...

"I wonder if you will ever learn not to mock."

"As far as I remember we agreed there wouldn't be any mocking until we know each other better."

"Maybe my memory is a little fuzzy but when did we manage to do that. You've barely been here at my side, prince."

"You have no idea..."

The words slipped before Dastan had a chance to stop himself. It was hard sometimes to remind himself that Tamina had no idea what had happened with her and him and the Persian royal family before the dagger had turned back time and Dastan had been able to change the events, prevent them from happening. He often wished he could just tell her all about it and as Tamina was a guardian to the dagger and the sands of time, maybe she would have believed him. But he knew it was wrong to tell her about things that had never even happened. It would not change her feelings towards him or the fact that she needed the time he already knew they had had to get to know one another better. He just needed to be patient... and he needed to keep his mouth shut.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. I am sorry, princess and I have to apologize again. But my father is arriving in a couple of days and I want everything to be prepared and ready when he arrives."

"Still you need to rest. There are other people here who can take care of preparations you know. Delegate."

Dastan let go of Tamina's hand and nodded in agreement, the chuckle still very visible on his face. He climbed out of bed and splashed a bit of water into his face from the small basin that was right next to the bed and that must have been filled by one of the servants while he had still been asleep. He debated changing into fresh clothes but given the fact that he would probably spent all afternoon overseeing the preparations for his father's arrival it seemed sort of senseless. He was already late anyway. He hadn't been supposed to sleep so long... He gave Tamina another smile, assuring her he would be fine and was supposed to leave the chamber when she stopped him.

"I'll try to remember that. I'm sorry mylady but I fear for now I have to leave you alone once again."

"Dastan."

He was surprised hearing her say his name. He had asked her to do so and she had agreed, offering the same to him but so far she had either just called him by his title or had used his name in combination with the title and therefor he had acted the same way towards her. He didn't mean to be rude. But now she had called him by his name and a sincere, almost shy smile had appeared on her face as she was struggling with her feelings but finally told him what she had wanted him to know.

"I am happy with this union."

"So am I, Tamina. You have no idea how happy."

He would have loved to go back to her right now, kiss her and tell her everything he knew and she didn't. Everything they had gone through together in another time that had no never happened, how he had fallen in love with her, had tried to safe her and how she had been willing to sacrifice her life... But instead he just swallowed hard and kept all those words where they belonged - deep down in his heart. Instead he gently grabbed the princess hand and planted a soft kiss on her fingers.

"I will be back as soon as I can, I promise."

"I'll wait...

Dastan hadn't been able to hold up to his promise. It was already dark outside when he returned to the palace and he felt tired and dirty from a long exhausting day full of preparations for his father's arrival. A messenger had arrived late in the afternoon, letting them know that the king would be here in another 4 days... It was barely enough time but Dastan - and everyone else helping to prepare for the king's arrival and the wedding - had to make due with what little time they had.

He had debated paying Tamina a quick visit but the way he looked and felt right now it just seemed wrong. Now it was time to clean up and actually change into something clean and comfortable and afterwards he would visit the princess and spent some time with her. After all that was what he had promised and breaking a promise was the last thing he wanted to do to Tamina.

His chamber was dark, not even a single torch or candle illuminating the room. Only what little light from the torches in the hallway fell into his chamber gave a little bit of illumination and Dastan immediately felt the presence of somebody else in his chamber when he entered it. He reached for the sword he was wearing and hid back a curse when he realized who the man was, standing at the balcony of his chamber.

"Bis!"

His friend turned around abruptly, obviously not even having heard Dastan enter and unaware of the danger he had put himself in with sneaking into the prince's room like let go of his sword and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he had detected his friend before attacking him. This could definitely have ended ugly if he had been more impulsive... Even though it was hard to see in the dark room, there seemed to be an apologizing gesture on his friend's face who seemed in a hurry to leave all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry to intrude like this but I needed to be someplace quiet and I knew you weren't back yet. I'm sorry. I'll leave."

"No. It's fine. Just stay. I just came here to change and then I wanted to see Ta... the princess anyway."

"Mmhhh."

Dastan, who had been about to slip out of his dusty shoes, looked back up at his friend in surprise. He had practically known Bis all his life and there had never been a single time when his friend had not used a chance to mock and tease him if it presented itself. Dastan had expected some rather inappropriate comment about him and the princess but nothing... He frowned, worry creeping up inside of him. This wasn't like Bis.

He stopped his efforts to change and stepped next to his friend, resting his arms on the balcony and looking out into the night with him. His voice was low, barely more than a whisper and he hoped to reach his friend and make him talk. It took a long while but finally Bis told Dastan what was on his mind and now that his friend brought it to his attention he actually felt bad about not even having allowed that thought to enter his mind so far...

"What are you thinking about?"

"Keyla. I'm thinking about Keyla..."


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Once again thanks for your reviews and alerts – they make my day. Here's another update for you. As one of you pointed out there might be some errors in the chapters that I apologize for. Don't think I said it before but English isn't my first language so mistakes do happen. Hope you still like the story. Here you go : **

*Nasaf - 15 years ago*

Keyla had been pacing up and down the small unfurnished room - apart from three blankets and a small old wooden chest - for at least an hour. One would have expected that she had to get tired of doing it sooner or later but adrenaline was running high and it was the only thing she could do right now to keep her racing thoughts in check. She had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity and still there was no news.

"Keyla!"

She winced when she heard her name being called but felt relieve the very next second. It was Bis calling out for her. He was back. That was a good thing. She hurried to open the door on him but as soon as she saw the expression on her friend's face, she knew hoping was... hopeless. But still she asked him, she just had to. Even if it was bad news she still needed to hear them with her own ears.

"Anything?"

"No... No, nothing."

"Damn! That just can't be happening... Tell me again!"

"I only saw it from afar, Keyla. Dastan told me to hide and I did. I barely saw..."

Bis had rolled his eyes, trying to explain but the look on Keyla's face stopped him mid sentence and he sighed softy. She wouldn't listen to him. She would make him tell the story again and again and possibly for the rest of his life... at least until Dastan finally showed up here again. She would not be at peace before that had happened and Bis just hoped they would see their friend again - for his and for Dastan's sake because otherwise Keyla would be kicking their butts.

"Fine. All I can tell you is that the guards caught him and they were about to punish him when the king suddenly appeared on the market place. He talked to Dastan but I have no idea what they said and I think the king threw something to him and then the king's brother took Dastan with him and they rode back to the palace. I have no idea what they talked about... It's the last time I saw him."

"But somebody has to know!"

"We're kids, Keyla. Even if they knew, nobody would tell us."

She groaned in anger and frustration and she looked like she was about to throw something across the room but as there was nothing in here, of course she didn't. Bis watched her warily and let himself fall down on the blanket he slept under at night. It had been a rough couple of nights. Usually they shared this room with Dastan... Neither one of them had slept a lot in the past three days since their friend had disappeared.

"We need to get into the palace."

"Keyla! That's impossible."

"It's not impossible. There's always a way in."

Bis was about to say something in return, trying to talk at least a little bit of sense into Keyla when there was a knock on their door yet again. His heart almost stopped when he heard the knock. Apart from him and Keyla only Dastan knew that they were living here... HE shared a quick look with Keyla who seemed worried and wary instead of excited and happy but decided to open the door none the less. There was no way whatsoever that their friend would have ratted them out to the palace guards and that they had come for them now. After all they were only children, not criminals. Before Keyla had a chance to say anything and stop him, Bis had gone and opened the door and just as he had hoped, his friend had finally found his way back to them.

"Dastan! Thank the gods! We were so worried about you, weren't we Keyla?"

"What happened to you? You look so... fancy..."

It was only now that she mentioned it and Bis had let go of his friend that he realized Keyla was right. Dastan seemed almost a bit embarrassed looking at the set of new, clean and - as Keyla had said - fancy clothes he was wearing, smiling a nervous smile at his friends. He looked like he had spent at least half a day in a bath as well.

"King Sharaman did all that for me. He wants me to... stay with him."

"Why? You're just a boy, just a street rat like the rest of us. What would he want with you? Does he really need yet another servant?"

Dastan tried hard to ignore the snappy, almost angry tone in Keyla's voice. He could not understand why his friend was so agitated. He had expected her to be happy for him but now she was angry instead. It didn't make any sense to Dastan. Unlike Bis who was still standing next to him, smiling happily obviously thrilled for his friend, Keyla had crossed her arms and was glaring at him. Dastan told himself to stay calm. He loved Keyla like a sister and he did not want to fight with her even if she obviously couldn't see the good side of what had happened to him and that it would be to her benefit as well.

"He doesn't want me to stay as a servant, he wants me to stay as... his... son. He... adopted me and he is willing to give me a home with his family."

Neither one of his two friends said anything in response and that - for once - was exactly what Dastan had expected. He was still barely able to believe it himself. Just four days ago he had been sleeping under a thin, old blanket in this room, fighting for survival on every last day, hoping and praying for enough food to last them through yet another day and now he had a bed with silk linen, a magnificent room with marble floors all too himself, two older brothers who had actually welcomed him with open arms and not a care in this world...

Of course this new life that had been given to him meant a lot of responsibility as well. There were a thousand things the son to the king of the Persian Empire had to know that he had not even the slightest idea about and there were so many things he would have to learn now - from reading and writing up to weapon training but he embraced all this as a good thing. This whole new life ahead of him was a chance and it was a chance he wanted to share.

"I want you to come with me."

"Why."

"I asked the king if I was allowed to take a couple of friends to the palace and he said yes. That's why I couldn't come back here earlier, I had to ask permission first. He said yes though and that's why I'm here. I came to get you. Two guards and a carriage are waiting for us outside."

"Didn't want his precious new son to get lost in the slums, did he?"

Keyla was pretty much snarling at him now, her disgust clearly audible in her voice. Dastan could not understand what was going on. He had expected Keyla would be thrilled with the prospect of being able to live in the palace. Instead it seemed like she hated the idea completely and hated him for offering that chance to her. But maybe there was still a chance for him to fix this... He just had to offer.

"Something like that. The king is just being careful... Will you come?"

"Of course!"

"No."

Both Dastan and Bis stared at Keyla in disbelieve. She had not just declined the offer of a lifetime. Bis took a step into her direction but she backed away. They all stayed silent for a long moment until Bis finally found his speech again.

"But why not?"

"We are living HERE, we are hiding from the guards, the very same guards Dastan wants us to live in one place with! I won't leave from here!"

"But this life is a dead end."

"I can see why YOU say that, now that you have the king and the palace and somebody to shove a golden stick up your butt."

"It is the chance of your life, Keyla. You won't get it again. Please..."

"YOU got the chance of your life. And you want us to play little servants to your new life. No thank you, prince Dastan. Take your carriage and your guards and your damn offer and leave me alone! I will not be servant to a king who tried almost got the both of you killed just three days ago. Go if you must but I will stay here!"

She meant what she was saying. It was hard to believe that all that ridiculous nonsense she was throwing into their direction was actually her real opinion but she was deathly serious, one could tell by the angry sparkle in her eyes. Dastan shared a look with his best friend and shrugged his shoulders. If he had learned one thing ever since he had first met Keyla it was that there was no way on this earth to change her mind if she had made it up.

"Fine!"

Dastan couldn't help but snap at her now too. She had done nothing but insult him and the king who had taken him in and had offered him a place in his home and with his family and now Dastan was unable to keep quiet and be patient any longer. He hated her stubbornness and her inability to take upon a chance just because she was too proud and he hated the fact that there was nothing he could do to make her change her mind. He glared at her for a moment and shrugged hsi shoulders, turning to leave without another word.

He made it as far as the door when he stopped again, stopping Bis who was right next to him as well. He knew he couldn't just leave her behind like this. He could not leave this much hatred and bad blood between them. Keyla had been like a sister to him and he trusted her with his life. He could not fight, could not leave her and say farewell when the last thing they had done was fight and curse at each other... Dastan turned around again, a pleading and more soft expression on his face now.

"Keyla please... Even if you want to stay, please don't give up on us. We're friends... We're like siblings. Please don't hate us..."

"I don't hate you. But I can't do this."

"But you won't shut us out. You will take us in if we come here? You will let us visit."

"Of course I will."

Keyla had calmed down a little as well now and she was now longer glaring at them. Her features were softer again and Dastan knew she meant what she had said. She would not shut them out, they would always be a part of her life and vice versa. Dastan stepped back to her again and this time Keyla did not back away but she rose both hands in defense, looking him up and down but grinning at him this time when she had another snappy comment for him.

"Don't. Wouldn't want to ruin your precious fancy clothes."

"Oh shut up stupid, proud, stubborn little girl."

"Idiotic, self-assured, impulsive twit."

He pulled her into a tight hug before Keyla had a chance to insult him any further and when he let go after holding onto her for a long moment, Bis did the same. This was farewell and they all knew it. Dastan'S voice was low and it was hard to look Keyla in the eyes when he actually had to say goodbye to his friend now. He had wanted her to come and it was hard to leave her behind like this...

"We will miss you."

"I will miss you, too."

They looked at each other for a long moment until Dastan gently grabbed Bis by the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him to the door. The two boys stopped again at the door. And said goodbye to their friend in unison. Keyla just nodded and it was not until the boys had left and the door had closed behind them that she allowed a choked whisper to escape her lips alongside with a single tear that found it's way on her cheek and ran down her face.

"Goodbye Keyla..."

"Goodbye boys."


	5. Author's note

**Just a quick note from my side. I'm n****ot sure if I made this entirely clear or not but the one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want this story to continue and the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. **

**Don't mean to be a pain and I admit I'm always a little impatient about waiting for reviews but that's the way it is. I'm aware this story isn't perfect but I'm doing my best to get better and only feedback can help me do that. So if you like it let me know and if you have constructive criticism let me know as well. Either way just help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. **

**Will add a chapter to this note as soon as you do :-)**

**Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Oh my gosh! Thanks you so much for all your kind words. I know I'm being a bitdifficult with my plea for reviews but now you manged to do it. I'm really happy :-D As promised here is chapter 5 for you and of course I will finish this story :-). Thanks so much once more – would love to hug you all! Hope you like the update :-)**

Bis had left shortly after he had reminded Dastan of Keyla and the prince was actually glad he was alone. He understood why his friend felt the need to be alone with his thoughts. Especially in the light of this wedding, Keyla was sort of a sour topic. She was their friend and they both loved her like a sister but she was stubborn and she always had a very strong, very independent opinion about things. Dastan could very well imagine what her take on this politically staged marriage was...

He wondered why it had been that particular memory that had come to his mind when thinking about Keyla. It was a bad memory and he had so many good ones as well- funny ones, happy ones but it had been this harsh and rather enangering one that had found it's way to the surface from his conscience. Dastan wasn't quite sure what that said about his mindset and his relationship with Keyla but being honest with himself he knew why this memory had to come to the light. It was because he felt guilty...

It would have been a simple order to send one messenger to her and tell her about the wedding, maybe even invite her to come here. Of course she would have declined that offer but at least it would have been a gesture of good will. If she found out now and from some stranger, she would definitely be angry with him. In that regard it was a good thing he would stay here in Alamut - that was a safe distance away from Nasaf and Keyla's wrath.

He hadn't forgotten about Keyla, he had simply ignored the fact of her existence because Keyla had always been the one to speak her mind and tell him her opinion even though there was a rather uncomfortable truth to it most of the time. She had told him what she thought about going into battle against people who only tried to protect their own freedom and she had also been the one to tell him what she thought about his blind loyalty towards his father, brothers and uncle... Especially that last part had proven to be the wrongest thing he ever could have done. He hated it when Keyla was right like that but unfortunately she was right more often than she was wrong...

Dastan shook his head, trying to leave the thoughts about Keyla behind. It was too late now and what was done was done. Worrying about Keyla would not change the situation and actually he had more pressing things at hand to do right now. He had promised Tamina he would spend the evening with her. That thought managed to bring a smile to her face and it spread into a grin when his thoughts returned to Keyla once more. Bis had not told him about his thoughts to remind him he had made a mistake in forgetting about Keyla, he had done so because this whole wedding and the preparations for it had triggered something in Dastan's friend he had been denying for a long time. Dastan knew very well that Bis had a soft spot for Keyla. He had been in love with her ever since they were children... but of course they both had been too stubborn to admit it and nothing had ever happened... Maybe it was time to change that... but not tonight.

He still needed to exchange his dusty clothes for some clean ones and needed to clean up at least a little bit before he would leave for Tamina's chamber to spend the evening with the princess. He had been looking forward to this all day. She was right after all. Ever since he had been able to prevent the events only he knew about and that had not happened now that his uncle was dead, he had barely been able to spend any time with the woman he was supposed to get married to in a couple of days.

It was easy to forget the fact that even though he felt like he had known her and had spent a very trying and adventurous time with her already, none of this had really happened and he needed to get to know her all over again. Some sort of connection had formed between them almost immediately and at times he was sure Tamina knew that he was hiding something from her - something concerning the dagger - but would never ask him about it. It didn't matter. It was nice to have this chance to get to know her all over again.

He finally got undressed and left the pile of dirty clothes on the floor. HE remembered Tamina telling him something about Alamut being famous for it's fountains and clear water... For a city so rich of water, it certainly was a miracle how dirty one could end up by only spending a day out in the streets of the city, overseeing the work other people did. He would have liked a bath right now but that would have meant to get a servant and at least another hour before he could leave for Tamina's chamber and that was just too long.

Instead he used the small basin right next to his bed and washed himself before getting dressed again, slipping into something more comfortable for the evening he wanted to spend with the princess. It was fully dark outside by now and he had no idea if she was even awake anymore but he had promised to at least drop in on her and it would have been rude to just ignore her. After all that was the last thing he wanted for tonight. He had missed Tamina, as ridiculous as that sounded, and he wanted to spend the rest of this day and possibly every other one still to come with her.

He had to grin by the way his own thoughts sounded to him. Just a day ago - which of course given what had happened or had not really happened to be exact as time had turned back and he had changed the events - he never even would have thought about marriage or love but now that was a completely different thing. He loved Tamina, it was as simple as that. And she loved him too... she just didn't know about it yet. But that was what he was there for - he would make her see.

He left for Tamina's chamber, walking down the illuminated corridor. It felt strange to see both a local and a Persian guard in front of the princess' room but that had been the agreement. The Persian troupes - and Dastan as one of the most prominent among their warriors - had just attacked and ravaged the city a couple of days ago and those wounds were still fresh, suspicion still running high. It was only a precaution and a first step to trust to have both groups of soldiers working together. Hopefully - with time - both trust and this marriage would grow.

Dastan greeted both soldiers with a nod and entered the chamber of the princess. He found her sitting on an embroided blanket that had been put down on the floor, a plate full of food in front of her. She looked up when he entered, crossing his hands behind his back and smiling warmly at her. He couldn't help it. He always reacted exactly like that whenever he went to see Tamina.

"Good evening, princess Tamina."

"Evening? It's night prince."

"I have to apologize. Yet again... I can leave if you want me to?"

"No. Please stay. I had some food prepared. It's too much for one person to eat. Sit with me, prince Dastan."

She was being so formal and Dastan still hadn't decided if he liked that or hated it. She was beautiful the way she tried to let her royal education win the better of her and always behave as a lady was supposed to or if he should feel frustrated about the fact that - in that other timeline - they had already known each other so much better and they had to go through all that once more. Being honest with himself getting to know the princess had been the fun part of their adventure and he was happy to have a chance to get to do it again. He hid back a grin when she - rather quickly - invited him to stay with her and gently sat down next to her, watching her closely.

"What are you so interested in?"

"I enjoy watching you like this."

"Are you teasing me again, prince Dastan?"

"No, princess Tamina. Not at all."

This time it was completely impossible for him to hide back a grin. She was so... adorable whenever her temper was flaring up and she was trying hard to control it and not to let it show too much. He hadn't meant to be rude but he DID enjoy watching her like this. He enjoyed watching her no matter what she did. But it hadn't been his only reason for staring. Even though he had told himself not to, he was still thinking about Keyla.

The last time he had seen her had been before he and his brothers had left for Koshkhan to fight a battle against the warlord who was threatening their territory. Just as always when he and his brothers left for a battle, he had fought with Keyla. He really had no idea why he went there to say goodbye only to end up in a fight every last time he did so. They would never be able to get to a common ground about war and battles and he knew that. Keyla always and rather vehemently told him it was wrong and sinful to fight other people for their freedom and he always told her it was a question of loyalty towards his king... It had been an ugly fight and they had both been angry but - as always - right before he had left, she had told him to be careful... She had been worried about him... and now he hadn't even invited her to his wedding... He winced when Tamina's voice ripped him out of his thoughts. He smiled and hurried to reassure her. He really didn't want to talk about this again.

"You seem troubled."

"No, not really. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Remember what we talked about when we first met."

Dastan had to grin. Actually they had been talking about how proud he had to be about the title the troupes had given him and he had advised her to show a little bit of humility towards the king for her own good. They had been arguing in that rather inspiring and amusing way even then but he had to remind himself that all this had never happened. He was too caught up in the memory right now to remember their second "first" meeting though and looked at her a little helplessly.

"Help me out."

"I asked you how I was supposed to trust you and I think I found a solution. You should be honest with me."

"Wasn't this part of getting to know each other better. Does that mean I can tease you now?"

He was giving her a soft grin and even though she tried her best to hide it back, he could hear a soft groan escape her lips. It was miraculous how easily he always managed to actually be able to tease her. He watched the slight trembling of her lips as she was trying to regain composure with amusement and had to hide back a chuckle when she answered in a stern tone, referring to him only by his title again like she always did when she felt agitated about something he had said.

"No, you cannot, prince."

"Then I think I'm fine, princess. Will you eat that any time soon?"

"Yes I will."

He had pointed to the plate of food and had eyed the still empty plate standing in front of her, receiving a glare in return. She had invited him to sit and eat with him but right now she looked like she was about to pull the plate of food away from him... or throw it's contents in his face and kick him out afterwards. Instead she picked up a couple of things, placing the food on her plate and glared at him in a way that clearly told him he should not even be thinking about touching that food. It probably was supposed to be a threatening look but he felt all the more amused by that adorable anger she was trying to keep caged inside of her.

They sat in silence for a long while, Tamina keeping her eyes firmly fixed on her plate of food and Dastan watching her eat, amusement still shining in his eyes. He had the advantage here because he knew Tamina way better than she could imagine and than she did know him. He knew she wouldn't be able to be angry with him for long and just as she had expected after a while she carefully looked back up at him, her voice soft, almost pleading and she was back to what little intimacy they had established so far, calling him by his name.

"Tell me, Dastan. Please."

"I had a talk with my friend and he reminded me of something I rather not wanted to think about. Can I have something to eat now?"

"Here you go. What exactly did your friend remind you of."

"A friendship. An old one."

She raised her eyebrows at him. Maybe she was surprised she had actually been able to get him to tell her or maybe she had expected something else. Whatever it was she was easily able to tell that he would not say anything else about this matter. He had just about gotten himself to successfully forget about the conversation with Bis and he would not start thinking about it again now because Tamina wanted him too. He watched a smile appear on her face and found himself surprised realizing it was almost mischievous. It was probably the first time she was the one to use a teasing tone

"You don't want to talk about this do you, prince."

"No I don't. I would take some more meat though if you don't mind, princess."

Without waiting for her permission or any other response in return, he reached for a piece of meat on the plate and put it into his mouth, grinning at her. Tamina rolled her eyes at him, unable to keep her emotions in check and he could hear her mutter under her breath. It would have been so easy to tease her now and that was obviously what she had expected him to do but for once dastan felt the situation was too serious to make a joke about it. He reached out a hand, gently grabbing Tamina's just like he had done upon their first meeting a couple of days ago, smiling a warm, soft smile at her.

"Why did I agree to this marriage again?"

"Because you knew that it was right and that it was what you wanted, Tamina."

**One more – you know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

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	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks again for all your kind words and reviews. Here's the next update for you and we're abck with Keyla :-). Hope you like it. **

It had been two days since Keyla had left Nasaf. She had her camp outside the city of Azaak, a small Persian outpost in the middle of nowhere, and it was at least another two days before she would reach Alamut. Shanse, the stallion she had stolen from the merchant in Nasaf was everything the man had promised - fast, strong and arduous but he was only a horse and he could not work miracles. She could have forced the poor animal through this night and only allow her and the stallion some rest in the morning but Azaak was the last city she would come across until she reached Alamut and both she and Shanse had been in desperate need for a break.

The decision she had made had told Keyla all to clearly why she had never traveled and never would have done it even if the life she lived would have allowed for such luxuries. It was one of the most awful experiences she had ever gone through in life. She had to admit she had not really prepared for this trip and had left in a hurry but she was sure that no preparation in this world could make this trip any more comfortable or enjoyable. She had no idea how Dastan was able to do this whenever the king send his sons on an endeavor to conquer some foreign country. They had to be traveling for weeks and they were traveling with armor and weapon and hundreds of unwashed men close by. She probably would have been willing to jump of a cliff if she had to go through something like this...

It had clearly shown that Keyla wasn't used to traveling. She had no training in horse back riding, she had no idea how to do it properly and her thighs, back and rear end were hurting like hell. Sleeping on the dusty ground wrapped up in a thin blanket and eating nothing but dried meat and fruit and drinking stale water all day did nothing to lift her mood either. And on top of all that - due to the sturdy leather pants she was wearing and the sweat running down her body - she had some rather painful abrasions on her thighs that had been hurting more and more with every hour passing by on her tip.

By now all Keyla longed for was some real food, a nice long scented bath and some freshly laundered clothes to slip into when she had finsihed her shower. A nice bed and about 12 hours of sleep would have been nice as well... She really wasn't one for a fancy treatment and she had lived in the slums of Nasaf all her life and was used to filth and dirt but nothing in her home could compare with sleeping outside in the dirt, crossing half the empire on horseback and not eating or drinking anything proper in days. She cursed Dastan day in and out because he was her ONLY reason for doing all this.

She had debated staying at one of the hospices in the town of Azaak but had decided against it once she had seen the first one of those just from afar. They were even filthier than sleeping on the plain dirt underneath the sky and they smelled of unwashed people and a lot of other even more disgusting things. Apart from that Keyla had not wanted to risk anyone stealing her things or her horse and neither did she want anyone to find out she was actually a woman... So far having people believe she was a young man had worked out in her favor quite well.

At least she had found a really friendly and helpful apothecary in Azaak who - with a trained eye - had seen what was troubling her without having to ask her about it and had offered her a cream that actually helped soothe the pain and make the awful abrasions on her thighs heal. She had thanked him and had wanted to leave but apparently the man had some sort of soft spot for her. Selling her the cream had not been the only thing he had done for her. He had offered her a job as well.

Keyla still wasn't sure how exactly it had happened but somehow the apothecary had managed to talk her into telling him where she was going and when he had heard that she was on her way to alamut he had been all excited and had asked her to take a few of his goods with her. They were to be delivered to a merchant in Alamut and the apothecary had offered to pay here right there and then. Keyla still couldn't believe it. She had never seen anyone pay anybody for a service in advance but the apothecary had done it.

Of course she had said yes. The apothecary's money was a good cushion for her and it would give her a chance to actually get that nice private room, the bath, the meal and the set of new clothes she wanted once she was in Alamut. The apothecary had described to her how to find the merchant she was now carrying the creams and herbs for and keyla had been even more surprised to hear that this merchant had paid those goods in advance when he had last visited Azaak. She wondered how both those men would have reacted if they had found out she was just a street rat from the slums of Nasaf and a woman on top of that. They probably would have died from shame.

Keyla didn't care though. She actually had debated just taking the money and not delivering the goods that had been given into her care but she couldn't do that. She owed the apothecary in Azaak because of that soothing balm and even though it probably didn't seem like much to him, to her that balm helping her heal meant the world to her. She actually felt like a real businesswoman and merchant. One could almost forget that she was not and she never would be... Even if living an honest life with more money and more luxuries seemed to be actually possible it wasn't worth the trouble. After seeing Dastan and getting back home she was sure she would NEVER travel again.

Azaak was surrounded by a veld that formed into a desert the further one got away from the outpost and closer to the border of the Persian empire. By the next noon she would be in the middle of nowhere and Alamut would be the next city she would see. It would take two days and that was only if she hurried. She had been advised by the people in Azaak that it was best to travel at night. It was less exhausting for both her horse and herself and Keyla had decided to listen to the people. It was early evening now and she had slept for a couple of hours. She would have an early dinner now and afterwards she would start the second part of her journey.

She knew she was still ahead of the royal caravan that would bring the king to Alamut to be there for his youngest son's wedding. She could tell that she was maybe half a day ahead of them because every city she had come through on her way to Alamut had been buzzing with excitement about the fact that the king would make halt in there city and take supplies from them. From now on however it would be hard to tell. The caravan was maybe slower than her but she was sure they knew the route to Alamut better than she did. She just had to be there before the king... which was another reason why she would be traveling at night for the next few days. She could start in the early evening hours and travel until the sun came up again - that meant at least 10 to 12 hours of traveling every night. Hopefully she would be fast enough...

She had no real plan what it was that she wanted to do once she had reached Alamut - apart from the room and the meal and the bath of course. She knew she had to talk to Dastan but she had no idea how or where to find him... Hopefully she would get some information from that merchant the apothecary from Azaak had told her about and that she was carrying goods for now. If he saw a business partner in her, maybe he would be willing to share information with her as well. It was the one thing she needed once she was in Alamut - someone who was willing and able to help her.

She had been thinking about Dastan a lot these past two days, mostly cursing him silently in her mind for having so much power over her mindset that she had been willing to take this journey just so that she could talk to him... She had also wondered dif this marriage was what he had wanted or of he had been forced because of political reasons or because of his loyalty towards his king and his brothers.

It was the one thing Keyla had never learned to understand - Dastan's blind love and loyalty towards the king and the family he had given to Dastan. She could understand he was grateful but still she couldn't make sense of it. It had been her one reason why she had declined his offer to be a part of the palace life - apart from not wanting to end as a servant for the royalty - she had not wanted to have to be grateful. She didn't have much in her life but what little she had was what she and she alone had worked for. It belonged to her and to her only.

She had been told that the princess of Alamut was extraordinarily beautiful but Keyla had heard enough of those stories to know that most of them were grossly exaggerated. But maybe it was true and Dastan was actually happy with the union... She hated to think about it but maybe - just maybe - she had no right to barge in and give him a piece of her mind... But then again she was his friend and her opinion had to count for something... She couldn't remember a single time they had agreed on an important matter though and Keyla was sure this time would be no different... But at least they would have had a chance to talk about it this way...

She willed the thought aside for the moment and got up from the blanket she had been sitting on, a soft groan escaping her lips. Even though she had been sleeping for the past few hours, her whole body still felt stiff and it hurt. But there was no use in feeling sorry for herself. She had to go on. She rolled up the blankets she had used to sleep on and under and placed them on Shanse's back before climbing into the saddle again, gritting her teeth when her injured thighs were pressed against the leather.

"Come on Shanse, it's time for us to go."

She patted the stallion and Shanse fell into a swift trot almost immediately. Keyla turned around in the saddle, looking back at the city of Azaak and was half surprised half fearful when she saw a big dusty cloud appear on the horizon. She knew it was the king's caravan. They would be reaching Azaak by nightfall and she could only hope they would stay the night. If they only stayed here for a quick rest, she would never be in Alamut before the king arrived and she just needed to talk to Dastan before he got married. She wasn't even entirely sure why this was so important to her but she felt she just had to do it.

She turned around again and whispered to Shanse to go quicker. She was glad the stallion seemed to... like her because he always did as she wanted him to without any trouble. Keyla had no experiences with horses or riding and she would have been in a lot of trouble if Shanse had decided to just do whatever he wanted. But they were getting along great and she actually debated keeping him instead of returning him to the merchant in Asaf even though that was what she originally had planned to do.

The sun quickly sank now but Keyla knew how to navigate with the help of the stars. She knew where the north star was and she knew she had to travel to southeast from Azaak to reach Alamut. If she kept a straight path southeast she would reach Alamut in less than two days - that was what the apothecary had told her. Keyla could just hope this was true. She wasn't sure she would be able to stand more than these additional two days on horseback. She was sure her thighs would be worn to the bone if she had t go on like this any longer than another two days...

It soon became cooler out here in the desert and Keyla loosened one of the two blankets that were tied up behind the saddle and drapped it around her shoulders. She was shivering slightly but the cold kept her from falling asleep and that was a good thing. She knew she could trust Shanse but she didn't trust in the stallion completely. She certainly didn't want to fall asleep on horseback and find herself back in azaak the next morning because Shanse had decided to turn back...

It was a cold, long and very dark night but Keyla managed to stay awake and keep her course. She spent fourteen straight hours on horseback until early in the morning on the next day. She rode on until her thighs - burning like fire now - no longer allowed her to go any further and only looked for a shady hide out once the sun had come up. It was already close to noon when she found a small cave that was big enough for both her and Shanse. She checked it first and was glad to find it empty but still Shanse seemed nervous and she needed a while to calm him down and get him to enter the cave.

It wasn't cold inside but at least there was some shade and Keyla drank some of her water before she carefully pulled down the leather pants she was wearing. She hissed when she saw the red flesh on her inner thighs and she took her time to treat it with the balm the apothecary in Azaak had given her. She put the bandages around her thighs like the apothecary had advised her to and left the pants off before she wrapped herself up in a blanket and lay down on the rocky ground. She was dead tired by now and it only took about twenty minutes before she had fallen asleep.

She woke feeling cold and because something was brushing against her face. It was Shanse who was patting his nostril against her face and Keyla had to smile. He was a really intelligent horse. It felt like he knew she had wanted to travel at night and he woke her just in time for sundown. Keyla needed a little while to unwrap herself from the blanket and get up to her feet. She wondered if she would ever stop feeling this stiff and achy... She stretched and yawned before taking some water and dried fruit from the saddle bags. She neither felt like eating nor drinking but did it none the less, knowing she would need the nutrition for the long nightly ride.

She patted Shanse and gently spoke to him while leading him back out of the cave. This time she did not reattach the blanket but just kept it wrapped around her shoulders and pulled herself up into the saddle. Her thighs still hurt but not as bad as they had done this morning and Keyla was positive she would make it through yet another night. She had gotten pretty far last night and she was sure by the next morning Alamut had to be in sight. It couldn't be that far any more... She could just hope the kings' caravan had not surpassed her by now... But she had high hopes they were still behind her. She leaned down to Shanse, whispering to the stallion.

"Let's go, boy. We're almost there. Just one more night..."

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	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks for your reviews. You guys are awesome! Here's the next update for you. Back with Dastan and Tamina again :-). Hope you like it. **

Dastan had left shortly after but Tamina had not been able to get to sleep after the Persian prince had returned to his own chamber. It had been late but she had not been the least bit tired anymore after Dastan had left. She had been walking up and down her room restlessly and had allowed her turmoil of thoughts and emotions to win her over - at least for a little while.

He had been right. Tamina had agreed to this union because she had known deep down in her heart that it was right. She had felt that strange bond between them that had an almost spiritual quality to it, a feeling like she knew him even though they had just met and a feeling that told him he knew her and her sacred duty better than he should have. Fate, a destiny that had brought them together and she was sure Dastan was very well aware of it. There was something he knew - about her, about Alamut and about the dagger - that he was not telling her and she had decided she would make him talk.

Of course it needed to people for that - her who would be trying and him who would actually be willing - but Tamina had a plan. She had asked him to trust her and even though they only knew each other for a couple of days and they were still very reserved around each other, she was sure that dropping a few well meant hints - especially towards the fact that she had realized he knew about the dagger and it's powers - would help her achieve what she wanted : the truth.

She had fallen asleep easily after making her decision, feeling at peace with herself all of a sudden. Even though he was teasing her a lot, Tamina trusted Dastan to tell her the truth if only she applied a little bit of pressure. She could tell he wanted to. Little hints and careless words had already slipped at times when he wasn't paying too much attention to what he was saying or believed she wasn't listening. She knew there was more to the whole scene of him giving her back the dagger of time than he was willing to admit...

Dastan woke to the sound of something that sounded very much like at least a dozen of little bells ringing. He could not place the sound to anything he had ever heard before and he had to smile when he opened his eyes and found his princess - Tamina - sitting beside him on the edge of his bed yet again. She was wearing a beautiful cream colored dress, heavily embroided and with little beads, pearls and tiny bells on it that had made the sound as she had been moving, shifting into a different position. He looked up at her his smile widening into a grin before he sat up.

"Did you come to watch over me again?"

"No. I came to invite you."

"Invite me to what?"

"It's a surprise, prince."

Tamina got up - her dress making that beautiful sound again when she moved - and reached out a hand to dastan. He couldn't help but grin again. This was the way he had gotten to know the princess once the initial feeling of distrust had subsided. Adventurous and mischievous without ever letting all seriousness fall off of her... Maybe it didn't mean anything at all but Dastan felt like he was slowly getting closer to Tamina yet again. But as much as he would have liked to just go with her and let her surprise him, there were more pressing things for him to attend to today. He bit his lip, looking at her with an apologizing expression on his face.

"But the preparations..."

"Will be completed in time. Stop worrying. Your father will be happy with you I'm sure. Now follow me."

Her tone of voice did not allow any kind of protest or discussion and Dastan nodded in agreement, a chuckle escaping his lips. It seemed Tamina was slowly letting her guard down. The way she acted around him now was a lot more like her - at least the person he had gotten to know better and better throughout their journey - strong, independent and too stubborn to bear at times. Dastan chuckled and looked down his body. He was wearing a pair of worn out, dark cotton pants and no shirt. Tamina followed his gaze and he was forced to hide back yet another grin when she was blushing softly, obviously realizing only now that he was half naked and it wasn't really prudent for her to be here. He grinned at her.

"Can I at least get dressed first?"

"But hurry. I'll wait outside."

She didn't give him a chance to even tease her, she was out of his room that fast, her dress making that soft jingly sound again when she walked out of his chamber. Dastan chuckled and then sighed softly. Actually he had wanted to use this morning to take that bath he had already planned on last night but yet again Tamina didn't give him a chance to do so. He cleaned himself up thoroughly though and slipped into his clothes, following Tamina outside where she was waiting for him.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me where we're going."

"Yes. Come on now, prince."

Tamina was being her usual self-assured, stubborn self and Dastan knew from experience that it was of no use to argue with her. He would just follow her - as he had done before in another time that now no longer existed - and let her lead the way wherever it would take them. They left the palace through the east entrance where the stables were and Dastan was actually surprised to find to horses saddled and waiting for them. A mild suspicion grew in him for just a moment but he quickly let it pass. Tamina would not try to deceive or hurt him - he just knew that.

Tamina climbed onto the horse's back first and Dastan just followed her. They left the inner yard of the palace and rode out into the city. It was early in the morning and a lot of people where on their way, greeting them - the princess with joy, him with a mixture of fear and respect. They took the main rode and Dastan was a little surprised when Tamina took the Eastern gate - the very same gate he had breached to give the Persian troupes entrance to the sacred city - to leave Alamut. They didn't ride on for long though. A couple of minutes after they had left alamut, Tamina veered right to a small path and after about 10 more minutes they reached a crystal blue spring coming up from a crack in between the rocks. Tamina dismounted from her horse and Dastan did the same following her. She turned around to him, smiling.

"Alamut is famous and well known for it's cold and clear waters and it's beautiful fountains... This supposedly is the place where our gods first blessed this city with water by splitting the rock open and allowing the water to pour out, allowing life to grow and flourish. Every couple that wishes to be married, asks for the god's blessing at this sacred place. I know they are not your gods but I still wanted to come here and ask for a blessing."

"What do we have to do."

Dastan had smiled hearing her say that it weren't his gods and that Alamut was famous for it's fountains, He had heard her say that before... even though she had no idea it had happened. He watched her as Tamina kneeled done next to the spring and cupped her hands, forming a crude goblet with them and reaching the cupped water in her hands up to Dastan's face. She smiled at him

"Drink."

He rose his eyebrows and frowned at her but she was still smiling. She meant what she had said, it was no trick. He bowed his head and drank the water from her cupped hands, feeling a little stupid. He half expected something miraculous to happen but after he had finished, Tamina let her hands sink, the rest of the water still in her hands splashing to the ground. Dastan gave her a curious look.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

They stood soundlessly for a moment and then Tamina first started to smile and then she chuckled. Dastan couldn't help but actually laugh himself. They had both been a little tense about this sort of strange situation but now relieve washed over them. He could tell this had been important to Tamina and he had been worried about making a fool out of himself. All in all however, they had managed the situation quite well... He watched Tamina stare at the spring for a moment but then she motioned for him to follow her.

They rode back to the city in silence but it was a comfortable kind of silence. Dastan expected Tamina to return to the palace and hopefully they would have a chance to have breakfast together now and talk a little but instead of turning to the palace, she veered left, taking another gate and he was half suspicious, half surprised when she directed her horse to a different yard and dismounted again, looking at Dastan, pointing to the large building in her back with a nod of her head.

"This is the high temple."

"I know..."

"How?"

He had only been mumbling the words to himself but Tamina had caught them and now he was - once again - in need to explain. He quickly came up with a response but he could tell from her reaction that she didn't believe him. He realized with a sudden clarity that it was why she had taken him here - because she knew there was something he wasn't telling her...

"I... heard about it."

She nodded in response to his rather lame lie and didn't say anything. Instead she turned around and entered the temple through the wide gate. Dastan hurried to follow her. She climbed up the spiraling staircase that lead to the upper part of the temple and Dastan followed her, feeling a little... caught at this very moment. Tamina was leading him to the sacred room where the dagger of time had it's resting place and he knew exactly why she did so. There was something she wanted to ask him... He entered the sacred room where the dagger was placed in a golden shrine and watched as Tamina stood beside the artefact, looking at it for a moment before she addressed him in a soft voice.

"Will you ever tell me the story... how the dagger came to be in your possession."

"Maybe... One day."

"Why did you give it back to me?"

"Because a present was mandatory?"

He was grinning at her but it was only half heartedly and Tamina's expression stayed serious, her voice still soft but almost having a grave tone to it. This was a very important moment for her, a moment for him to prove that he could trust her and she could trust him as well. It was important to find the right words and even though his joke had seemed to be suitable to relieve some of the tension Dastan felt right now, Tamina was not willing to let go of the matter. Dastan realized that he had to tell her something, give her something that would make her see he wanted to tell her the full truth but couldn't right now. It was to fantastic for her to believe him, especially after only knowing him for such a little while. He gave her an almost apologizing smile.

"Please prince, you agreed not to mock."

"I... knew it was important to you."

"Why?"

"It is difficult to explain."

"Try."

Dastan debated actually doing what Tamina asked of him for a quick second but quickly dropped the thought again. It was too dangerous and too early to let her in on his secret. Maybe when they had spent more time together and had been married for a while and Tamina had learned to trust him again. But not today. As much as he wished for her to be happy he could not soothe her curiosity just yet. Instead of telling her the truth, he gave her a weak smile and tried a different approach.

"Do you believe in fairytales, princess?"

"Fairytales?"

"Yes. Stories full of fantasy and magic and unbelievable events. Do you?"

She frowned at him, obviously taken by surprise by his question and waited to give him an answer. Tamina felt there was more to this question than the actual words. Dastan was reaching out, offering her a way in on the truth, a truth that obviously would sound more like a fairytale than anything else. But when it came to the dagger Tamina expected a fantastic story... She realized the Persian prince was trying to find out if he could trust her to believe him. Gently and slowly Tamina nodded her head, carefully voicing her words.

"I do."

"Then I will have a fairytale for you to listen to someday. But not today."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Once again I have to say you guys are awesome! You all deserve a hug and a big wet kiss :-). Thanks for all your reviews. Here's the next update for you. Hope you like it. **

Keyla reached the city of Alamut in the late morning hours of the next day. It was almost noon when she reached the main gate of the sacred city and it was unbearably hot already. There was barely anyone out on the streets and Keyla felt a little lost in this big, strange and unfamiliar city she had never seen before in her life.

She was dead tired on top of the feeling of being lost and Keyla knew she would not be able to keep sitting upright in the saddle for much longer. She needed to find that merchant's shop the apothecary had told her about and afterwards she would allow herself the luxury of a good hospice and would have a long, relaxing bath and a decadent meal before going to sleep for the rest of the day. She didn't plan on trying to get to and hopefully inside the palace of Alamut until nightfall. It was easier and less dangerous if she had the cloak of night to keep her hidden from guards and soldiers.

First though she had to find what she was looking for and had to deliver the goods she had received in Azaak. The description the apothecary had given her had been very detailed and right now it was more than helpful. He had told her to take a turn right as soon as she entered through the main gate into the city and had a chance to do so. It would be a small alley, she was bound to miss it if she didn't pay attention - that was what he had told her - and he had been right. Being as tired as she was, Keyla had almost gone right past it. She stopped Shanse before they had passed the alley now and rode on.

Just as the apothecary had told her, she reached a small plaza. She crossed it and the street she was on now was a lot more magnificent than the one she had arrived on. The houses here were big, more like mansions and it seemed the people living here fancied marble a lot... Keyla swallowed hard. Apart from the palace in Nasaf she had never seen that much marble in one place ever before... This was where the apothecary had wanted her to go? She couldn't believe there would be a merchant here who had actually bought anything from a small outpost in the middle of nowhere like Azaak... Maybe she was wrong here...

But the description was completely accurate. This was exactly where the apothecary had told her to go. She counted the houses to the right side and stopped in front of the fourth one, the one where the apothecary had told her to deliver her good to. She still wasn't sure she was right at this place but she didn't want to believe that it had been some sort of trick. There was only one way to find out anyway. She stepped closer to the large, wooden entrance door and knocked.

It took a long moment before the gate was opened on her and Keyla had already expected nobody to answer her when a servant appeared in the doorway now. He looked her up and down with a frown, obviously anything but pleased to have been disturbed. Keyla hid back the wish to sigh and looked the man straight in the eyes. People had believed her to be a young, adventurous, well situated traveler. She would not allow this guy to unnerv her or send her away.

"Yes?"

"I came from Azaak with a delivery for your master."

The servant didn't even hesitate for a single moment which was the last thing Keyla had expected to happen. Even though she had wanted to be tough, she had not expected it to work. But it had... Or maybe the servant had only seen her father's sword right now and had debated if it was truly wise to try and get into an argument with her. Anyway she got what she wanted, a nod and a door being opened on her.

"Come inside and wait in the yard. I will get my master."

Keyla followed the servant inside and had almost gasped out loud seeing the inner courtyard of the house. This was a... marvelous place and she couldn't believe it all belonged to just one man. Even thinking about how filthy rich the merchant had to be the apothecary had sent her to made her feel drowsy... The merchant she had stolen the money from in Nasaf was nothing against all this... Keyla was ripped out of her thoughts when she heard a voice near the staircase that lead to the upper floor of the two story house.

"That's him. He said he has something to deliver."

"Of course he has. Go and get us something to drink."

Keyla watched the servant wince and had to hide back a grin. She should not have been gloating - she hated this kind of servant and master relationship, it had been one of the reasons she had not had wanted to follow Dastan and Bis to live in the palace - but she couldn't help it. He had been anything but... nice when he had let her into this house. She watched the servant leave and focused her attention on the servant.

"Welcome young traveler. What can I do for you?"

"Actually I came to do something for you. I arrived from Azaak this morning. The apothecary Hazim asked me to deliver something for him."

"My merchandise!"

"Yes."

The merchant's enthusiastic reaction had surprised her. She had never seen any salesman so happy about the arrival of his merchandise but then again she had never really known one before. Keyla hid back a frown and lead the way back to Shanse, taking the saddlebag off and handing it to the merchant. She really needed a bath and a bed now, she had been troubling herself with this excursion long enough.

"This is yours. I'll be leaving now. I need to get some rest."

"There's no need to leave. I haven't had a guest in this house for a while and I like having visitors. You are very welcome to stay."

"What?"

"Hospitality is the least I could offer you, young traveler. After the Persian army invaded our city I did not expect any messengers or merchants to arrive here soon. I am glad my merchandise arrived here before the princess' wedding. I'm deeply grateful to you..."

"Key... Keyzam."

Keyla had barely been able to stop herself before she told the merchant her real name and would have revealed herself. But she was able to clear the situation and without the merchant realizing it. He was smiling at her and would he have known that she was a woman she would have believed he was flirting with her. This way however he was just being friendly and hospitable.

"Well master Keyzam, it is good you came here. I have a guest room upstairs I will have prepared for you. If there is anything else I can do for you..."

"Actually I would love to take a bath. I have been on the road for almost a week now..."

"I understand. I will send you one of my servants to prepare a bath for you. She will care for you while you are here. If you need anything else, just tell her."

"Thank you."

It sounded like he was actually offering that female servant to her. Keyla felt disgusted hearing the merchant's offer but she forced herself to smile. This was a beautiful house and she wanted to stay here. She was too tired to roam through the city and look for a place to stay. She nooded in agreement but made her thank you sound a little harsher than would have been appropriate. She watched the merchant frown at her but the expression only stayed on his face for a second and then he was smiling again.

He turned to leave but Keyla stayed where she was. Actually there was something else she wanted to ask this man - a local to this city. He had taken a few steps when he realized she was still standing there and he turned around again. Keyla took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to voice her question and approach the matter carefully. She didn't want the merchant to get suspicious in any way.

"Is there... something else?"

"Actually... I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the palace..."

"Why would you want to go there?"

"It's a private matter."

"I understand. Well you just take the main road to the palace gate but you need permission to pass the guard towers and with the Persian army and the whole Persian royal family to be residing in Alamut for the next couple of days it will be especially difficult."

"Don't worry. Permission will not be a problem."

Is that so? Well, I wish you good luck with your endavor, master Keyzam. But you should rest for a little while."

"Believe me, I intend to do just that. Thanks again for your hospitality."

"It is my pleasure."

Keyla watched the merchant leave now and she almost winced when the servant the merchant had talked about had appeared out of nowhere. Keyla looked at her with surprise when she received a smile. She bowed a little and pointed to the staircase to their left that lead to the upper story of the house.

"One of the other servants will take care of your horse. Follow me. I'll take you to your room."

Keyla let the young woman lead the way and followed her upstairs. The room she took her to was big and pompous. The floor was made from marble, the walls had ornaments painted on them and everything looked like it had been freshly cleaned. There was a soft smell of something Keyla couldn't quite determine but she quickly realized what it was when she had a look past the bed that stood in the center of the room and looked like it had just been made and saw a tub full of milky water. Her scented bath... They had already taken care of it... Keyla couldn't believe it. She stared at the servant who was smiling at her again, acting like this was completely normal and the way they treated any of the merchant's guests in this house.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"A plate of food would be nice. Please just leave it outside. I'll get it when I'm done with my bath. I want to be alone for now."

"Of course."

Keyla felt a little ashamed of herself ordering the woman around like this but she was still smiling. Keyla didn't want to believe it because she felt so disgusted by the idea herself but maybe this woman actually enjoyed her work... Keyla watched them leave and close the door behind her after the servant bowed to her a little, smiled and then left. Keyla let a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding out and went to the door, turning the key that was in the lock. She did not want to be disturbed.

It was the first time in days she actually allowed herself to stop the masquerade and be a woman again. But she didn't want anyone to find out about it - especially not in this foreign place... She needed to hide who she truly was - at least for the time being. She took of the bandana she had been wearing all these days and pulled the ribbons from her hair, letting it float freely down her back. She slipped out of the cape, the linen shirt and the leather pants she was wearing and dropped her dusty shoes next to her dirty clothes. She should have asked one of the servants to clean those for her... But she could do that later...

Keyla groaned. It was awful to realize how easily she fell into the role of the uprising merchant, messenger and traveler who had just arrived at a befriended salesman's house. None of that was true though and she actually hated those kind of people who had servants and treated those people like they were beneath them... She couldn't believe she had so easily excepted all the luxury that had been given to her just like this...

"Damn it!"

She shook her head forcefully and dropped the thought. It had been a long journey, a tiring one and she was aching and her thighs were hurting and she was filthy and dusty and tired. She needed all this - she needed a bath and food that did not taste like it had lain in the sun for days and a clean, soft, bed. She just needed to relax and unwind. She cursed again and stretched her arms over her head, relaxing her muscles before she carefully stepped into the tub. The water was warm, but not hot and it smelled of mint and something that smelled a lot like cinnamon. There was actually something... girl to the scent but Keyla liked that. After all she was a girl.

She let herself sink beneath the water and enjoyed the feeling of the warmth that felt a lot like a blanket. It made her feel drowsy and she hurried to get her face above the water again. As much as she enjoyed the bath, she needed to hurry. Otherwise she would simply be falling asleep in here... Keyla took the washcloth that had been draped over the edge of the tub and cleaned herself up thoroughly before getting out of the water and wrapping herself up in one of the linen towels.

She picked up her dirty clothes from the floor and carefully opened the door to her room just a little, looking outside. There was nobody to be seen but the plate of food she had wanted was standing in front of her door. She quickly bowed down, picking it up and dropped her dirty clothes in front of the door. Hopefully the merchant's servants would understand the gesture... she would thank them later.

Keyla took the plate with her to the bed and yawned. She was almost too tired to even pick up a single scrape of the food on the plate that smelled so unbelievably delicious. She ate a little of it - some fruit and vegetables, bread and chicken . But she couldn't keep herself awake - and eating - for much longer. Keyla yawned again, pushed the plate aside and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes. She would rest for just a little while, only an hour or two... and when she would be feeling less tired and more refreshed, she would find a way into the palace of Alamut...

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

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	10. Chapter 9

**Update time! And we're almost there with the meeting. I'm not entirely sure I did proofread this chapter and I had a long day at work today and am too tired to do it right now – I' sorry for any mistakes. Hope you like it. **

*Nasaf - 8 years ago*

Keyla woke with a start. She had no idea what had woken her up but she felt scared and distressed, like she had just woken from a bad dream. Her vision was blurry for a moment and when she tried to focus her view, she realized with growing horror that her surroundings were completely unfamiliar to her. She had no idea where she was or how she had come to be here. She was comfortable though - she registered that fact somewhere at the edge of her panicking mind - so it definitely wasn't the worst place to be in. Still she knew she didn't belong here. She tried to sit up, wanting to get away, but a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Easy. You're still very weak, you shouldn't move around too much."

Keyla's eyes widened when she was able to put a name to the familiar voice. She looked up, right into Dastan's face. A small, tired smile lay on his face. He was obviously very happy to see her awake. Keyla realized that something had to have happened to her, something that explained why her friend looked so tired and exhausted but all the while so happy about her being here, talking to him. She tried to remember, tried to remember how she had come to be here but her memory was blank, completely blank.

"What happened?"

"You were sick..."

The way he said it, Keyla could tell there was more to it. It must have been a serious illness if Dastan sounded so worried about it. But even now - knowing what must have happened - Keyla still had no memory of feeling ill or falling sick whatsoever. Given how weak she felt right now, she could only imagine that the disease had hit her so hard and so fast, that she had never even seen it coming.

"I don't remember..."

"You were VERY sick. When we heard about the disease in the slums of Nasaf. I went to look for you. I found you at home with a fever and delirious and I took you here. Our healers took care of you. You will be fine."

Keyla stared at Dastan for a long moment. Maybe she was too weak or still to sick to comprehend it but she couldn't believe what he had just told her. Why would he do that? Why would he risk his own safety - his life - to check on her and even take her away from her home to get her to someone who would make her well again? It had to have been chaos in the slums if people were suffering from a disease and probably still was if the illness was still raging on. They probably had needed to protect the rest of the city's citizens from those in the slums who wanted to get away from the illness - reinforcements, guards, soldiers... and Dastan had put himself right in the middle of that... Keyla swallowed hard, looking at him warily, waiting for confirmation.

"You went into the slums of the city where a disease was spreading and you took me with you?"

"Yes, of course I did."  
He said it with so much force, that Keyla did not dare to question his actions - or his motives for that matter - again. It seemed she had insulted him, questioning what he had done for her like that. They were friends, very good friends to be exact and thinking about it now - as her mind cleared more and more - Keyla felt bad about her initial reaction... Of course Dastan had come to save her... She was like a sister to him and she would have done the very same thing for him had the situation been reversed. She would have risked her own life in order to save his... Why it had surprised her that he had done it she couldn't really tell... She knew she should have apologized but her mind was troubled by another thought in that moment.

"When did that happen?"

"Six days ago. You have been unconscious since then."

"Wow..."

Six days... Keyla couldn't believe she had not been aware of anything that had happened around her for six full days. A week of her life had passed by without her even having the least bit of recognition about it... She swallowed hard. She really had to have been severly sick if her fever had kept her unconscious for that long. It explained why Dastan looked so tired. He had saved her from a lonely death in the slums by taking her away from there but it had been the healers who had fought for her life after that. She looked at her friend when Dastan sat down on the edge of her bed, smiling that small tired smile at her again.

"We were worried about you. Bis and I kept watch over you. He went to sleep a couple of hours ago when it was clear you would be okay. He was afraid we would lose you..."

"And you?"

"I knew you were too stubborn to just die."

He was grinning now - only a shadow of his usual mischief visible on his face - and that managed to calm Keyla down a lot more than any reassuring words ever would have been able to. The grin and his words let her know that everything would be alright with her again. If Dastan was joking and teasing her, she certainly wouldn't be dying. He wouldn't have done that... Keyla swallowed hard and licked her lips - they felt dry and it was only now that she realized how thirsty she was. Dastan, who had watched her every move carefully, got up from the bed and went over to a small table a few feet away where a jar full of water was standing.

It felt strange to watch Dastan pour a cup of water for her. It made her feel... uncomfortable. As children they had been equal but nowadays they were not anymore. The life that had been offered to Dastan by king Sharaman had changed him and Keyla felt like he wasn't even aware of that fact. It wasn't like he was arrogant or cruel like his brothers - the king's real sons - could be at times but he had gotten so used to this life the king had provided him with that he took things for granted he never would have when they had still been children.

"Here."

She tried to grab the cup that Dastan had returned with and had almost let it slip through her fingers, spilling it's contents on the bed. She was too weak to even do a thing as simple as drinking a cup of water all by herself. Dastan however reacted quickly enough to stop the mess from happening, steadying her hand and holding onto the cup. He smiled gently, which actually managed to make Keyla feel even more embarrassed than she already did.

"Careful. You're..."

"Weak, I know."

"Let me help you."

Keyla would have liked to protest as Dastan now gently took the cup from her hands again and held it up to her lips so that she could drink the clear, cool water inside of it but she was too thristy and too weak to do so. She greedily sipped the water and had to stop after just a couple of gulps, resting her head back down on the pillow. She felt like a new-born kitten... She had never been this weak before in her life. It was a scary feeling... She watched Dastan place the cup on the ground beside her bed. He still looked worried... and tired. She would have liked to send him to bed, it seemed he needed the rest. He however didn't even seem to think about leaving her alone.

"I also got you the candied fennel you like so much but it would be best if you kept it hidden from the healers. They won't allow you anything but water and soup for a couple of days until you are better and stronger again."

Keyla took the small, wrapped up package Dastan handed to her now and slipped it underneath the thin cooton blanket she was covered with. She had to smile. Candied fennel was the one thing she always got from Dastan whenever he paid her a visit. To her it was a luxury she never would have allowed herself because it was too expensive - even if she had some money at times - and di not pose any sort of nutrition. But she loved it and she never, ever argued with Dastan for bringing her something she actually didn't need and neither did she do now.

Her hand rested on the package Dastan had given her. He had done so much for her and even though she knew why he had done it and she knew she would have done the same thing, she just couldn't get it out of her mind how unbelievable all this felt to her. She knew she was being ungrateful and rude but she allowed her thoughts to win the better of her and just slip out of her mouth as she voiced them . It wasn't that she couldn't truly believe he had helped her, but what he had risked to do so...

"Why did you do this?"

"Because you're my friend, Keyla! Did you really need to ask?"

"You risked your health, your life! And you risked the lives of everyone at the palace by taking a sick person in. Why?"

"I needed to make sure you were okay."

"And the king and your brothers?"

She had been afraid to ask this question, afraid of what the answer would be but as she was here and Dastan was here, Keyla assumed it hadn't been that bad. The king had not ordered Dastan to take her back where she belonged and he had not been that angry with his son to decide to punish him in some way... Or maybe that still would be happening but the king had decided to let Dastan be there for her first. Either way she was afraid of his answer but a surge of relief went through her when Dastan shrugged his shoulders.

"Garsiv was unhappy of course but that's because he doesn't like you. Tus and my father both think I was stupid and careless... but it was a noble thing I did. I don't care about being noble or careless, I just wanted to help you."

"I owe you my life..."

"I did what I knew was the right thing to do. You owe me nothing, Keyla."

He seemed taken aback by her words and hurried to shake his head. Keyla had never been one for drama and this had been the last thing Dastan had expected from her. He didn't feel like he had saved her life - he had just brought her to the next healer he could find and that had been the ones in the palace - and he certainly didn't feel like she owed him anything in return. He looked at her hoping that emotion would shine through and he was glad when Keyla softly nodded her head. He did not want her to feel like she was indebted to him.

She closed her eyes for a moment and Dastan bit his lip. The healers had told her that too much excitement would be very exhausting for Keyla and she couldn't take that right now - not yet. She would need a while before she would be able to live her life normally again... Maybe he had strained what little power she had right now and had driven her too far... She looked tired and exhausted. Maybe it was best if he left now and let her rest. But when she opened her eyes again, sudden determination shone in them and even though he should have expected it, Keyla's next question still took Dastan by surprise.

"When can I leave this place? And where exactly... am I."

"This is my room, Keyla. My father told me that if I could be careless enough to take you here, it was best to keep you with me."

"I thought he said what you did was a noble thing..."

"Doesn't change the fact that I endangered a lot of people while doing it. Luckily it all went fine."

Keyla did not want to get into this particular argument again. She felt bad enough already that she hadn't been able to prevent the course of action Dastan had taken. If she had been conscious or simply just strong enough she would not have allowed him to take her to the palace - a place she didn't want to be and a place full of people she could have gotten sick with that disease she had contained. But she hadn't been able to and Dastan was right - it had gone fine. Instead she insisted on an answer to the one question that was most important to her right now.

"You didn't answer my question though. When can I leave?"

"You don't have to leave, Keyla. You know that..."

"I don't belong here, Dastan..."

"If you think about it that way, I don't belong here either..."

"No you don't..."

"Keyla..."

"Let's don't get into it. We will never find a common ground and we both know it."

She was right about that. They had argued about this probably a million times by now ever since he had left to live in the palace as a son to the king. She had never agreed and she had never wanted a chance for a better life - a life Dastan had offered to her at a multitude of times - for herself. He reminded himself that she was still weak and that arguing with her would only make her feel worse... He smiled instead.

"No, we probably never won't. To answer your question - the healers say you need to stay for at least another week until you are strong enough to walk on your own. They want to make sure you can provide for yourself."

"They want that?"

"Yes. That's what they want. I want you to stay. But I will respect your decision. I always have."

"I know."

Silence emerged between them for a long moment. It wasn't an awkward silence though but those few moments gave Keyla a chance to realize how truly tired she was. She had never felt this exhausted after something as simple as a conversation. She closed her eyes for another long moment and of course her actions didn't go unnoticed by Dastan. He surpressed a sigh, realizing he had kept Keyla awake for too long. It was time for him to leave her side and give her some peace. He gently placed a hand on her arm and smiled when she looked at him again now.

"I have to go and tell my father about you. He wanted to know when you were better. Just rest and sleep a little if you can. I'll be back later."

"Okay..."

Keyla felt him squeeze her arm gently and she watched him get up. She didn't want Dastan to leave but he was right - she needed to rest and she knew she wouldn't fall asleep having him watch over her like this. She smiled realizing he was only leaving for her sake. He had almost reached the door when she stopped him once again. She hadn't made it very clear until now but she wanted him to know. She needed him to know...

"Dastan?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you..."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Update time! And meeting time! I know I have kept you waiting for quite a while but we're finally there :-D Sorry for any spelling mistakes if there are any. Hope you like it. **

When Keyla woke again it was already dark outside. She sat up in bed and frowned. She had only meant to rest for a little while, close her eyes for just a few moments and it had only been midday then. She couldn't believe she had slept for at least 6 to 8 hours. But then again it had been a really exhausting journey for her. She stood up and groaned softly. Her body still felt stiff and achy but she felt more rested now that she had a decent meal, a bath and a couple of hours of sleep. It was time to do what she had come here for. She needed to see Dastan.

Keyla carefully walked to the door of her room, unlocked it and opened it a tiny little but, looking outside. Torches were illuminating the inner courtyard of the house and she could hear muffled voices. It seemed the merchant or some of his servants were downstairs in the yard. She would not be able to leave the mansion unnoticed... She looked down and had to smile seeing the pile of clothes she had dropped earlier in the day before she had fallen asleep, now they were neatly folded and obviously freshly cleaned. She needed to remember to thank the female servant who had taken her up here this morning.

Keyla closed the door again. She could either slip back into her masquerade and let the merchant know that she left or she could try to leave the mansion unnoticed. Actually she favored the later. She did not want anyone to know that she was leaving for the palace. She hated the fact that she had asked the merchant about the way earlier, letting him know she would go there sooner or later. Somehow she felt it was better if that merchant she barely knew anything about, knew her every move.

She locked the door again and went back to the bed. There was a small bench standing right in front of it and this was where the merchant's servant had placed her saddlebags. She opened them and rummaged through them, looking for something suitable to wear. Of course there wasn't much in it and somehow it felt to her that this... meeting with her friend tonight called for something... special.

She looked at the few clothes she had brought for a good ten minutes until she sighed and finally realized that none of those things felt right to her. She had a look around her room and frowned when she detected a wooden chest at the far end of the room. She was pretty sure it would be empty but it couldn't hurt to check... She went over there, opened the chest and frowned again. It was full of clothes.

She had no idea why the merchant would keep a set of clothes in his guest room but she didn't really care. The clothes inside the chest were all meant for men but she was okay with that. Traveling in her masquerade all these days she had grown quite fond of it. It made things a lot easier if people believed she was actually a young man. They treated her with a lot more respect... And a woman alone in the streets of Alamut late in the evening certainly would draw more attention than a man...

She looked through the clothes in the chest and was surprised to realize that the cloth the clothes were made from looked very expensive. This was true craftsmanship and they felt soft to the touch. She could only imagine how expensive the whole content of the chest had been... It certainly was worth more money than she had on her right at the moment. Keyla swallowed hard and finally decided on a pair of black pants, a white linen shirt and a dark blue scarf and a matching bandana.

She treated the abrasions on her thighs before she got dressed, pulling her hair into a ponytail and hiding it underneath the bandana again. She decided against taking her father's sword with her, but reached for the small dagger she had bought in Azaak and had kept hidden in her saddlebag ever since. She hoped there would be no need for it but as she planned on secretly entering the palace of Alamut and talk to Dastan - the youngest of the Persian princes - she did not want to go out and do all of this unarmed. Better save than sorry...

She placed the dagger at her back underneath the scarf she was wearing, hiding it from view. She was ready to go now. Keyla looked around her room and walked to the small balcony that lead out onto the street. She was on the first floor which meant about two meters above ground. It was no problem for her to leave the house unnoticed and get back inside without anyone ever realizing as well. She walked out onto the balcony and looked down on the street.

It was dark down there, not a single light was illuminating the small street. At the far end of the street - where the plaza was that Keyla had crossed on her way to the merchant's house this morning - a soft light shone. Nobody would see her get down onto the street... She climbed over the banister and gently lowered herself down. She was still holding onto the edge of the balcony, her feet dangling about one and a half feet above the ground when she let go.

She landed on the dusty street with a soft thud. No other sound could be heard. There was nobody on the street - nobody had seen or heard. Keyla breathed in deeply and turned away from the soft light coming from the plaza. She looked up into the night sky and she could see the silhouette of the palace in the darkness of the early night. The entrance gate to the palace couldn't be more than a few streets away... Just that she couldn't take the main gate... She needed to find another, more secret way...

Instead of heading for the main gate, Keyla kept to small alleys, hiding in the shadows until she reached the wall guarding the palace, surrounding it completely. There were watchtowers on it in regular intervals. Keyla cursed. This wouldn't be easy. She walked further along the wall and was surprised when she reached the back of the palace, realizing there were no more watchtowers here... She didn't question that fact though. This would be her way in...

She looked up the wall, trying to determine how far up it went. The wall had to be at least five to eight meters high and about a meter thick... She squinted, trying to make out the railing of the wall and a small smile appeared on her face. It seemed every guarding wall to a palace was always the same... It was just a question of good aim. Keyla pulled the two things she had taken apart from the dagger and had hidden underneath her clothes - a rope and a 4 armed hook.

She tied the hook to the rope and looked up again. Even though there were no watchtowers here, she could see small clearing in the upper wall meant for archers to attack enemies. She took a deep breath, held it, looked at the clearing once more and threw the hook up... It worked the very first time. A soft clinging sound could be heard and when she pulled on the rope with all force she could come up with now, she could feel the hook find a resistance. Keyla grinned. Somehow she had expected this to be more difficult.

She pulled herself up the rope and about a minute later she had climbed above the railing and was standing up on the wall. The palace wall was just a couple of meters away from this side of the guarding wall. A strong man would have been able to just jump... It was truly careless of the Alamutians to not guard this side of the palace better but it was all the better for her... She took the rope in her hands again and threw it up to the nearest window. She felt the hook clawing into the wooden frame of the window and pulled on the rope again. If it would not hold her now she would fall down... She closed her eyes and held onto the rope.

She hit the wall with a thud that almost pressed the air from her lungs. Jumping those two to two and a half meters hadn't been the best idea she ever had but she had not hurt herself and now she was able to pull herself up. Just another two minutes later she stood in a hallway, illuminated by torches on both sides of the wall... she was inside the palace. All she needed to do now was find the right chamber - find Dastan...

She had more luck than she had ever expected. Walking down the corridor halfway she could hear muffled voices. She hid in a doorway to a chamber, the darkness engulfing her and hiding her. When she took another step back, she realized the door to the chamber was open and she stepped in further when she realized the two guards that came down the corridor stopped right in front of the door. It weren't only two guards as she realized now and her heart skipped a beat when she heard an all too familiar voice outside in the corridor.

"Thank you for accompanying me. I know my brothers' orders said otherwise but a guard on the door won't be necessary. You can leave."

Keyla couldn't believe she had actually managed to find the right chamber by chance. It was Dastan's voice she heard outside. She pressed herself against the nearest wall and held her breath, waiting for Dastan to enter. It was hard to contain her emotions when she watched him come in. He had his back on her but she could tell from the way he walked into the room that he was exhausted. Keyla bit her lip, waiting for the guards outside to leave the corridor. Only when she could hear no sound coming from outside anymore did she step away from the wall.

"Good evening my friend."

Dastan jerked around, hand on the hilt of his sword as he turned to where the voice - and possibly the danger - had come from. Keyla had stepped into the light of one of the torches, smiling gently and her smile widened into a grin as Dastan just stared at her for along moment, hand still resting on his sword. Keyla looked down at his hand and then back up at him, a playfully hurt look on her face.

"Do you intend to kill me?"

"Keyla?"

"Yes, it's me."

"How in the gods name did you get in here?"

"There's always a way in. You of all people should know that."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well... I heard congratulations are in order. So I thought I'd come here and give them to you personally."

She had sounded harsher than she had intended but Keyla couldn't keep the reproach from her voice. He hadn't told her, hadn't even send anyone to tell her, let alone invite her... she watched him closely and felt satisfaction as he cast down his eyes and bit his lip. At least he was feeling guilty about the way he had handled the situation.

"I'm sorry, Keyla. I didn't mean to..."

"You didn't mean to do what, Dastan? Ignore me? Forget about me? Not even have the courtesy to invite me to your wedding? We are friends Dastan! Friends since childhood. Or at least I thought we were..."

"Of course we are! I just... It... I... It slipped my mind! There was so much going on with the battle and the invasion and the proposal and the preparations... I didn't know this would happen!"

Keyla frowned, opened her mouth and then closed it again. This didn't make any sense. Why wouldn't he have know about his own wedding? And what did all of this have to do with the battle... It was only now that she realized the full extent of the words the merchant had said to her this morning. Before the Persian army had attacked... They had attacked this city and now Dastan was to be married to the princess... Keyla stared at him in utter disbelieve.

"This was never planned..."

"Of course it wasn't. I've only known princess Tamina for about a week! When we invaded the city under false pretense and uncovered my uncle's treachery, it was Tus's idea to unite Persia and Alamut with a wedding..."

"Wait. What? Your uncle betrayed the empire?"

"Obviously you're not anywhere near up to date with what has happened..."

"All I heard was that you were to marry the princess of Alamut..."

Dastan couldn't believe Keyla had missed out on the most vital information. His uncle's treachery must have traveled through the whole Persian empire by now but still Keyla had somehow managed to miss it completely. She had however heard about the wedding but neither did she know how it had come to place... It was hard to explain it to her without telling her the full truth but Dastan tried none the less. Keyla had always been very good at being able to tell when he was lying but she seemed to confused and surprised right now. Maybe he would get away with telling her what he could and without her noticing he was keeping something from her.

"Nizam betrayed our father, Keyla. He paid someone to act as a spy who supposedly uncovered that Alamut was working with our enemies in Koshkhan, providing them with weapons, so that we would attack the city. He wanted to... lure my father here and have him killed. But his treachery was uncovered, the destruction of the city was prevented and Nizam was killed... Tus apologized to the princes proposing this union to her."

"Wow... That's... not what I expected..."

"I know."

She hadn't noticed... Dastan wasn't sure if he should be glad or disappointed. Maybe it was better this way. He couldn't have answered her questions anyhow. Keyla's attention seemed to have been drawn away from the treachery back to the wedding anyhow. Her eyes widened as she realized something and she sounded almost a little breathless. Her question came out of nowhere and it made little sense to Dastan. He would have thought she was already aware of this particular fact but it seemed she wasn't...

"Wait a second... If this wedding was never planned... why did you agree?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"Marrying a woman you don't even know beause your brother tells you so is the right thing to do?"

"It's more complicated than that."

There he was having to lie to her once again. It would have been so easy to just tell Keyla that he did love Tamina truly and that this was what he wanted. It would have calmed her down and silenced her anger as well because he knew Keyla well enough to realize what she was angry about was the fact that he had once again acted loyal towards the king who had taken him in and given him a home whereas she had always put her own liberty ahead of everything else - even a better life for herself. She was angry now, he could see it in the look on her face. Her voice was a harsh hiss by now.

"Oh is it? You marry a woman out of political reasons, you marry a complete stranger because it's what is best for the empire! You have your brother decide for you, you do what your king would want you to and what the crown prince demands from you. You truly are a son to your king and a prince of Persia. You act as their puppet, having them pull all the strings!"

"It's not like that!"

"What? So you do love her? You attacked her city but managed to fall in love with that woman you never met in just a couple of days?"

"I... She..."

Dastan would have loved to scream in frustration. If only Keyla would have known the truth... He did know Tamina, he had spent time with her, he had come to love her but now - with the turning back of time - all of that had never truly happened. He tried to find the right words to say but failed miserably. It seemed Keyla wasn't interested in them anyhow. She had made up her mind already...

"You know what. I don't care! This is exactly why I NEVER wanted to have what the king offered you. My life may not be perfect and I may not have silk sheets on my bed and golden rings on my fingers but I am FREE. I'm free to do whatever I want and I don't have to bow to another man's expectations or orders. You however... You have been poisoned by the life given to you. You forgot where you came from, Dastan. You forgot who you truly are..."

"Keyla!"

She had turned to leave and all Dastan knew in that moment was that he had to stop her somehow. If she would leave now - angry and disappointed - he knew he would never see her again. It had always been difficult for them to be friends whenever Dastan was put into a situation that demanded of him to first be son to his king and a prince to the empire instead of her friend. This situation was certainly the most difficult one so far. He tried to stop her, desperate to make her see that they could still be friends despite all that but all he received from Keyla was a harsh shaking of her head and an almost cold stare. Her voice matched the look in her eyes - cold and full of disgust and disappointment.

"No. Just do as you have been told and be a good little prince. They finally have you where they always wanted you. Loyal to the death, no matter the consequences, no matter your own happiness and will... I hope you will be happy, Dastan, I truly do. But I will not be a part of this little charade. Farewell prince..."

Keyla turned to leave and Dastan was speechless, unable to stop her. He stared at the doorway even minutes after she had disappeared. She had never called him by his title before and she had spoken the word with so much disgust that it pained him to even think about it. He wished he would have been able to tell her the truth - that he truly loved Tamina and that there was a bond between them nothing could ever destroy... But even though it was hard to admit, Dastan had to realize Keyla was right to a certain extent. He was doing what he was told because it was what was best for the empire.

Had Nizam not betrayed them and had he not been framed for his father's murder, he would have been married to Tamina in that other timeline as well. He would have done exactly as he had been told and he would have married a woman he didn't know just because he was asked to. Ii was exactly as Keyla had said. He did what others told him to do... But unlike Keyla he did not see a lack of freedom in it. He did this because he was loyal to his king and father. He did this because he wanted to... But he and Keyla had never been on a common ground when it came to the question of loyalty... And now they never would be. He loved Tamina and he would be happy with her... He just wished he wouldn't have lost a friend over this union... But that was exactly what had happened just here. He had lost Keyla...

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hi guys! Thanks for all your reviews! You're awesome! Makes me smile everytime I check and see there are a couple more :-) It's late here already and I'm tired and there are probably a few spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter but I didn't want to leave you without an update :-). Hope you like it. **

Keyla had almost run into a guard AND had barely made it back to the street right underneath the wall surrounding the palace. She had been so angry that she had not paid close attention to what she was doing and had almost slipped and fallen down the damn wall as she tried to get back down. She was still trembling - with adrenaline from the near fall and most of all with anger.

She had known Dastan practically all her life and though they had certain things they had never agreed on and had always been arguing, she never would have thought he would once manage to do something that would make her turn her back on him. But he had. She had never been so disappointed as she was today. She could not understand why he was willing to sacrifice his right for liberty and decision making for his father and the empire. He didn't even seem unhappy or troubled by it. He had just let it happen.

She had always feared something like this would happen one day and she had been aware that it would most definitely be on the day a marriage would be decided for Dastan. It wasn't that she was jealous. She was his friend, a good friend, but never more than that. It was the simple fact that she hated how he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to be loyal to his king. It was something Keyla never had been able to comprehend...

Kings and queens, princes and princesses - they did not marry out of love... Maybe losing him like this had been fate. It felt strange to realize that she was now losing her best friend to another woman. She could just hope princess Tamina would grow to be someone Dastan could trust in. She didn't ever expect there to be love but respect and trust certainly was something she could hope for to develop between the soon to be married couple...

She hoped for Dastan's sake that the princess would be able to make him happy. She was disappointed in him but she still cared for him and she wanted for him to have another female presence in his life who he could trust and who would speak her mind to him no matter if that meant to disagree. He needed that sort of presence in his life. Maybe she was flattering herself but she felt like her presence in his life had always been a stabilizing one. Now however she couldn't be there for him anymore.

She had done what she had come here for. She had seen Dastan, she had talked to him and she had been able to make up her mind about this wedding. There was no more purpose for her to stay here any longer. It was time to go back home. Keyla bit her lip. Nasaf had been her home all her life but she was pretty sure Dastan would take Tamina back there once they were married or would at least visit the city with his new wife ever so often. Maybe he would even seek her out, trying to set things straight. Keyla wasn't sure if she would be able to go through that... Maybe it was time for a change in scenery for her...

Azaak had been a small city but she had a friend there... or at least somebody who was something like a business partner... Handling the apothecary's merchandise, traveling with it and getting it to his business partners had been a well paid job and even though she had hated the traveling part of it, maybe this was a good chance for a new start for her. She would get used to traveling on horseback and Shanse was a good horse. She could make some money this way, find a new home, start a new life... It sounded like a reasonable plan... Maybe this was exactly what she needed right now - a fresh start...

Dastan hadn't done anything ever since Keyla had left. He had managed to sit down on his bed but that was about it. He hadn't managed to get out of the dusty clothes he had been wearing all day, he hadn't been able to get to the water basin to clean himself up, he hadn't touched the jar of wine or the plate of food one of the palace's servants had brought him - he hadn't done anything.

His mind was still revolving around what Keyla had told him, the way she had looked at him with that disgusted look on her face. 18 years of friendship and now it was all over, just like that. He had argued, even fought with Keyla all his life but their opinions had never clashed so harshly that they had not been able to be friends any more. Now however it had happened and rethinking their conversation Dastan realized there was nothing he could have done about it.

Had he told Keyla the full truth, she would have called him an idiot. She would have never believed him, thinking he was only trying to play some sort of trick on her. Had he told her he truly loved Tamina she wouldn't have believed him either. She was too damn stubborn to let any other opinion but her own come to pass and she had made up her mind. Maybe it had been supposed to be this way. He would replace the friendship with a woman with marriage to another woman now... But it hurt - it hurt to realize he had to lose Keyla in order to get Tamina... At least that was how it felt to Dastan.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes for just a moment. He didn't even realize that somebody entered his chamber and he winced when he heard the voice of his friend Bis. He sounded enthusiastic and Dastan hated to take his friend's happiness from him. But he had to tell him about Keyla, as hard as it was. She was his friend to - Bis had a right to know what had happened here tonight.

"We missed you tonight. The troupes and I had hope you would be there to watch the fight, have a little drink, that sort of stuff. Of course Roham defeated every last opponent yet again but... What's wrong with you?"

Dastan looked at Bis and somehow managed a small smile. His friend had always been able to detect if he was feeling troubled way too easily. It was years of experience and the fact that they had known each other and spend their time together - in the palace and in battle - since they were children. Dastan let a soft sigh escape through his lips and stood up, wanting to be at eye level with his friend when he told him the news. He tried to stay calm but couldn't keep a soft trembling from his voice.

"Keyla was here..."

"What? When? Why? Where is she now?"

"She left, Bis. And I don't think she will be coming back..."

"What did you do this time?"

There was a slightly amused tone to his friend's voice but Dastan knew it didn't stay this way. He knew Bis was secretly in love with Keyla... or admiring her more than he should as a friend at least. He had always sided with her no matter what the discussion had been about - except the one time when Dastan had offered both his friends a place in the palace all those years ago - and he would not like hearing that Keyla had decided to just leave their friendship behind.

"I... She found out about the wedding and she was anything but happy about it. She said I was giving up my freedom in order to be loyal to the king and my brothers, doing what they want me to do. She was angry... disappointed and she bid me farewell..."

"Why didn't you stop her?"

"There was nothing I could have said..."

Just as he had expected him to, Bis sounded angry now but to Dastan's surprise his friend's anger didn't last for long. He contemplated Dastan's words for a long moment and then nodded his head. They both knew how Keyla could be and if she had made up her mind there was nothing in this world that could change it again. If she had wanted to believe Dastan was betraying the one thing she valued above else in order to be loyal to his king, their truly hadn't been much of anything anyone could have said to make her think otherwise.

Bis sighed softly. He would have wished for a chance to see Keyla. He had not seen her ever since they had left for Koshkhan. He and Dastan had met Keyla to say goodbye and as always she had told them to be careful. This had been more than two weeks ago and he had missed her. He couldn't believe she had just vanished out of their lives... He was ripped out of his thoughts by Dastan's voice that was barely more than a whisper. He sounded troubled... and insecure, something Bis rarely ever heard from him.

"Do you think she's right?"

"That you're being loyal to your king and doing what he wants you to do? Yes, she's right about that but that's nothing to be angry or disappointed about. I know you take great pride in being loyal to the king and Keyla should know that as well... Apart from that I've seen the way you look at the princess... You're not exactly devastated that you will be married to her in a couple of days."

"No, not exactly."

Dastan was grinning now. It was a soft grin, not his usual mischievous one but Bis could tell his friend would recover from today's loss. He was sure princess Tamina would help Dastan to get over it. He however would need more time... He could just hope that Keyla would think about her decision again and at least give him a chance to still be friends with her... He couldn't lose her like this... But with this particular matter - and as much as he loved Keyla - she had been wrong and Bis wanted the Persian prince to know that.

"I know I don't usually side with you but on this particular matter Keyla was completely wrong... I just wished I would have a chance to say goodbye to her."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. Do you want company, Dastan?"

"No. I think I want to be alone for a little while."

Keyla had almost reached the mansion of the merchant again. She had been less careful on her way back. She had been to angry to do that. But nobody had stopped her - obviously that angry look on her face was scaring people away. She wasn't angry with Dastan though, she was angry with herself by now... She had made a decision, had made up her mind about a new life and still she couldn't stop thinking about him...

Actually it was her - the princess of Alamut Keyla couldn't stop thinking about. The one thing she was worried about the most was if this woman would be able to make her friend happy. Of course it wasn't the only thing of importance in Dastan's life. He was at an age where other princes already had been married for a little while. The king's oldest son - Tus - had two wives at the same age already.

They probably wouldn't be spending much time with each other anyway. The one thing the Persian empire had always been ever since Keyla could think was at war. There was always some borderline conflict, some greedy warlord, some rivaling state that would go to war with the Persians and - above all else they had been trained for - the king's sons were warriors. They would always go where the battle was. But still Keyla wished for Dastan to be able to come back to a happy home and that was something the princess of Alamut would have to provide him with once they were married.

She knew basically nothing about this city's ruler. She had heard a few stories about her and they all had one thing in common - they stated that she was extraordinarily beautiful. She hoped that aspect of the stories was true - for Dastan's sake. Being forced to marry a strange woman certainly was even harder if she was ugly...

Maybe she should have taken the chance being at the palace to pay the princess a visit as well but she had been too angry after her discussion with Dastan. She hadn't been thinking straight and she had just wanted to leave the palace again. She had no right to intervene in this anyway. She could imagine that for the princess it was hard enough already to agree to a union that had pretty much been forced on her.

Dastan did this to win his brothers and his father's approval but the princess - even though it probably had been cloaked as a polite proposal - was forced to agree to this union for the well-being of her people. Keyla knew the stories that were told in rivaling countries and the borderlands of the Persian empire - stories about the wrath of the Persian army when it invaded new territory and stories about the decadence and the cruelty of the Persian royalty. Only a fraction of those stories were actually true but Keyla was sure the princess had heard them all. She wouldn't have been surprised if she was at least a little afraid of the man who would be her husband soon...

Maybe - if she hadn't been this angry with him - it wouldn't have hurt if Keyla had put in a good word for Dastan - from one woman to another. But then again he didn't deserve it. She was angry with him for a good reason after all. Keyla sighed and ordered herself to stop thinking about this now. It was no longer her problem - she had decided that it wasn't. Now it was time for her to look forward...

Princess Tamina had debated her decision for quite a while, wandering up and down the very same corridor for almost half an hour before she willed herself to make up her mind. She wasn't exactly sure what it was that had caused her reluctance. Being lied to - that had happened already. Having things kept from her that she felt she had a right to know - this had happened as well. Being teased and made fun of - yet again this had happened already. Actually there was nothing she had to fear of the Persian prince Dastan but still she had needed quite a while to make up her mind.

As she entered his chamber now, she found the room only illuminated by a single candle on a small table in the center of the room. Coming from the illuminated hallway, her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the change of lights. She couldn't see the prince anywhere and did the one thing that was prudent in the situation - she called for him.

"May I come in?"

"Tamina?"

She winced when she heard his voice close by. She had no idea how he had managed to appear out of nowhere, sneak up on her and stand right next to her now, but Dastan had done it somehow none the less. He gave her a weak smile and reached out a hand, holding it out for her to grab. She did so, gently, carefully but without any reluctance and smiled a small smile when he placed a gentle kiss on her hand. He let go and turned away from her, walking up to one of the wide windows leading out to the palace's courtyard. Tamina swallowed hard. She had come here for a reason...

"I met your... servant out in the hallway. He seemed troubled and when I asked him about it he said it was nothing. It seems keeping things from me runs within the whole group you surround yourself with. But maybe you can break that bane and tell me what it is that is troubling you both."

"Bis is not my servant, he's my friend."

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for, prince."

Dastan turned around and pondered her with a long look. She had asked for his honesty before, had asked him to share his thoughts with her. Dastan suppressed a hard laugh. This was what Keyla had always been there for. She had been the one for him to talk to, to share his thoughts with and to discuss with when he needed to make a decision... Tamina had offered to do the same thing for him if only he reached out to her... Maybe it was time - it was time to share with and trust her. A small, sad smile appeared on his face, his voice thick with emotion.

"That friendship I told you about..."

"Yes."

"I fear it's over now..."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks again for all your reviews! As I said before : you're awesome! Sorry for and spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter. I checked but as always I'm sure I missed a few. This is supposed to put a little twist to the story... Hope you like it. **

"Good evening young traveler."

Keyla winced when she heard somebody talk to her - at least she assumed that somebody was talking to her. She had still been standing outside on the street, looking for a way to get back up to the balcony and into her room when the voice had sounded in her ears. It was familiar and she realized it was the merchant. When he stepped out of the shaddows near the main gate now, she tensed up but he was smiling at her.

"That's quite a disappearing act you pulled on us but I assume you went to the palace and as you said it was a private matter, I won't ask any questions."

"That is appreciated. I would like to go back to my room now... I suppose you have a spare key?"

The merchant was laughing now and nodded his head yes. Keyla was grateful he made good on his promise and didn't ask any invitingly reached out a hand towards the main gate, asking her back inside. Keyla breathed a sigh of relief without the merchant noticing. If he had been suspicious or merely curious she might have been in quite a lot of trouble now. But luckily he didn't seem to care too much what she had been up to tonight.

She entered the inner courtyard and stopped dead in her tracks, almost causing the merchant to walk right into her. He avoided it by taking a step aside and out of the corner of her eyes Keyla could see a soft grin on his face. Obviously he had planned this little surprise on her. The courtyard was filled with people - all of them servants to the merchant - who were busying themselves with various tasks. Keyla had never seen so many concentrated people working hard in one and the same place. She glanced at the merchant, allowing her feeling of surprise to shine through.

"What is all this?"

"Oh. We're providing gifts for the royal guests at the wedding - perfumes and creams."

"Stupid wedding..."

Keyla hadn't been able to stop the words from leaving her mouth. She had only whispered them btu it seemed the merchant had heard none the less. She could have cursed herself for reacting on instinct like this but she was sick and tired of hearing about Dastan, the princess and their wedding. She just wanted to get away from it all. The merchant's eyes had widened and jusst as she had expected him to, this time he didn't keep his curiosity to himself.

"Pardon me?"

"Oh. Nothing. It was nothing."

"Did you just curse at the soon to be married royal couple?"

He still sounded curious instead of angry but Keyla barely even noticed. She had switched into a defensive mode by now as she almost always did when she felt attacked in some way. Her voice was harsh, harsher than she should have allowed it to be. After all she was a guest in this man's house. But to her utter surprise the merchant rose both hands and smiled at her. His next words took her by surprise and they made her worry...

"And if I did?"

"Then I would tell you that you're not alone with your emotions. A lot of the Alamutians think this union is... questionable to put it mildly."

"You think the princess is making a mistake?"

She couldn't keep the feeling of sheer horror from her voice. Those people truly believed Dastan wasn't good enough for their princess. They knew nothing about him! The urge to protect him came naturally to her. She had been his friend, his ally and close companion for too long to just stop protecting him from one minute to the next. The merchant was smiling mildly at her, acting like he had never even said the words and shrugged his shoulders.

"You were the one cursing at the couple."

"Well..."

"I guess your distaste has something to do with the reason you were at the palace?"

"Sort of..."

Keyla told herself to be very careful with whatever she said now. There was something going on here, something that made her skin crawl and let a cold shiver run down her spine. It sounded like the merchant was part of a group of people who rather would have wanted all the Persians invading their city dead instead of now taking over their city and making a union with their princess. But maybe it was natural - no free city wanted to be invaded by an empire's army...

"We heard a lot of stories about the Persians and their armies and let me tell you, none of them were very flattering..."

"You know what they say about stories and fairytales."

"That there always is an ounce of truth to them."

"Yeah well. That as well..."

She had wanted to make the merchant see that the Persians - and especially the stories about them - were not as bad as the Alamutians believed but she failed. She wasn't even sure wh she tried. She had been the one to tell Dastan that loyalty to the king meant to give up freedom and now she was the one to defend him and his army. It wasn't that though. She just wanted to defend and protect Dastan from the bad opinion people seemed to have of him and the rest of the Persians... But the merchant wasn't interested in hearing her defense. He had more pressing matters on his mind.

"Did you get into the palace?"

"Let's just say I did do what I came here for. And now that my work is done I would like to leave for Azaak again. The sooner the better."

She had kept her voice cold and harsh on purpose. These questions the merchant asked her about the palace made her feel uncomfortable. It seemed like he was about to ask her for a good way in. Wouldn't she have known any better - and had believed this man was too much of a coward to do something like this - she would have believed that the merchant and other Alamutians planned some sort of uprising against the royal couple... She swallowed hard. She needed to get out of this city - and fast. But the merchant would not even let her go to her room.

"Oh that's a shame... I was hoping I could interest you... in a little mission..."

"What kind of mission?"

"A delicate one. But from what I just heard from you, it seemes you're the right person to do it."

"What would I have to do."

"Well you would be traveling again but only within city limits. You would be a... messenger."

"Sounds simple enough."

"A messenger on a delicate matter. If you get caught... well let's just say it might not be to good for you."

Another cold shiver ran down Keyla's spine and her breath caught in her throat. She felt sick all of a sudden. She was right! She couldn't believe this was actually happening but she was pretty sure she was walking right into a scheme being planned to somehow cause an uprising against Dastan and the princess, maybe stop the wedding from happening or even worse than that. She couldn't allow that to happen. She had always protected her friend all her life and he had done the same for her. Even being angry with him now, she couldn't just walk out on him like this. Keyla took a deep breath and forced a small smile on her face.

"I have been involved in delicate affairs before, believe me. And I have never been caught - not once."

"That is good to hear. Well then... What say you?"

She had to do it, she knew that. If the Alamutians actually planned to cause any harm to Dastan or the princess she needed to warn him about it and the easiest way to achieve that and have accurate and useful information for him was if she stayed near those people she believed were planning to betray their princess and the Persian prince. She nodded her head in agreement, causing a satisfied grin to appear on the merchant's face.

"I agree."

"Good."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks again for all your reviews! Sorry for and spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter. I checked but as always I'm sure I missed a few. And now on with the story. Hope you like it. **

Dastan still had a hard time believeing everything that had happened last night was actually true. Given that he was the only to have the memory of a completely different timeline, a completely different reality in his mind, at times it was difficult to distinguish what was truth and what was part of his memory. But last night's events had truly happened - he truly had spoken and fought with Keyla, he truly had been visited by Tamina and she had truly offered to take his mind off the loss of Keyla as a friend and wanted to spent the entire day with him today.

She had suggested that they would walk around the city and she would show him some of the places Alamut was famous for. She had also suggested to visit the market and she had suggested to take a troupe of guards with him. Apart from the last suggestion, Dastan had been more than willing to go along with her plan. But if he and Tamina took a whole day to spend together - a day to get to know each other better - he did not want a whole escort with them. He wanted them not to be the princess of Alamut and the prince of Persia tomorrow. He wanted them to just be Tamina and Dastan...

Therefor he had asked her to consider to just leave the palace in disguise, put on some simple clothes and blend in with the rest of the city's citizens. She had been reluctant for just a moment but then Tamina had agreed and she had done so with a smile. Dastan had been pretty much extatic since then. It felt like a real break through. She was finally acting less like a princess and more like the woman he had come to know and love.

Despite everything that had happened that night, he had managed to fall into a dreamless sleep rather soon after going to bed, which he hadn't truly expected. He had slept well but a little too long though and right now he was hurrying to get ready. It didn't mean much of a change for him. Growing up as he had done - in the slums of the royal city of Nasaf - and traveling so much as the Persian army was pretty much always needed somewhere across the empire, he was used to the simple and sturdy clothes of the common folk. He grinned thinking about Tamina though. She was a real princes - raw linen and thick cotton were not the fabrics she was used to.

Dastan left his chamber, walking down the corridor to the wide staircase that would leave him up to the princess's chambers. He was tying the bands of the dark blue cloak together that he had put on and that which's wide hood would help keep his features hidden from the people of Alamut. He gave a soft nod to the two guards on the princess's door and entered the room calling for her, letting her know he was here.

"Princess Tamina? Are you ready?"

"I think so. I... This clothing is so unfamiliar to me."

She sounded unsure with herself and Dastan hid back a grin when Tamina appeared from behind the curtains that surrounded her bed. She seemed nervous and looked down herself with a critical expression on her face. She had chosen a pair of cotton harem pants in a cream color and a dark red wide shirt. She wore a little vest above that shirt and had put on a cloak in a dark color as well.

She reminded him of the way she had looked in Avrat before she had - once again - stolen the dagger from him and had left him to his uncle's and brother's wrath who had both tried to kill him... Dastan pushed the memory aside. All of this had never happened... He smiled at Tamina, reaching out a hand for her to hold. She pulled away from him though in light anger when he commented on her clothes, obviously feeling mocked instead of being handed a compliment.

"It suits you well though."

"You're teasing me again, prince!"

"Had I told you you were spoiled being used to silk and soft cotton only, I would have been teasing you. Actually I was trying to compliment you."

"I'm not a Persian desert citizen or a Beduin. My constitution is... more delicate than that."

Dastan had to grin and he couldn't hide it even though his reaction probably only fueled the princess's believe that he was trying to make fun of her. It was something entirely different though. He had heard these words from her mouth before... And seconds later she had knocked him unconscious and had stolen the dagger from him. That however he couldn't tell her. It was another one of those memories of things that had never really happened. He smiled at her again.

"I promise I will take good care of you, princess. You will be just fine, even given your constitution."

"How flattering of you, prince Dastan.

"It's a pleasure dear princess."

"I suggest we leave for the market now."

It seemed like she had wanted to add some sort of cynical comment, telling him something like that they would never be leaving if they didn't stop arguing and dastan hid back a grin. It always managed to make him happy when that strong-willed, independent and at times stubborn woman broke through to the surface and left the well mannered princess behind. He liked Tamina much better like this.

"As you wish, princess."

She rolled her eyes at him, making Dastan grin again and led the way out of her chamber. Dastan however stopped her again before she could reach the door. As much fun as he always had teasing her like this, there was something important he had to tell and that she needed to know. His voice was softer now, his sincerity clearly sounding from it.

"Tamina."

She turned around, looking at him with a half surprised, half questioning look, an inviting gaze in her eyes, asking him soundlessly to go on. Dastan gave her a smile in return and told her what had been so important for him to have her know.

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"For giving me... us... a chance to actually get to know each other better. I wished for this to happen."

"So do I."

They smiled at each other and in this very moment they both felt exactly the same thing - they knew it was going to work. Tamina felt that strong, almost spiritual bond she had first detected when she had walked with Dastan almost a weak ago, knowing there was more to him than met the eye upon a first view and he felt that everything would return to the way things had been between them in his memories of a time that no longer existed. It would be fine. They would be fine.

"Come on. The market gets more crowded with every minute we waste standing here."

Dastan nodded with a smile and followed Tamina out of the chamber. He was looking forward to spending the day with her. He felt the ice that had built up between them again was slowly thawing and hopefully this day together would help melt it away. . He caught up with her and gently reached for her hand, his fingers touching hers, giving her the chance to take initiative and hold on to him. He smiled when she did.

"What would you like to do at the market? Anything in particular that you would like to get?"

"I haven't though about it much... A dress would come in handy I guess... for the wedding maybe.."

Dastan frowned at Tamina. He knew the wedding was short notice and it had come rather abruptly and out of the blue for both of them but he knew for a fact that a handful of seamstresses had been working at the palace to get Tamina's dress ready in time for days now. She did had a dress for the wedding - there was no need for any shopping on that end. Still it seemed prudent to be save and confirm it.

"But I thought you would have a dress. The wedding is in four days..."

"I do have a dress. But don't you think I should get something that finds your... approval."

Dastan had to grin seeing the soft redness that now appeared on her cheeks as she blushed. She was obviously uncomfortable to talk to him about this and for once he decided not to make things harder on her by teasing her. When they had been on their quest to destroy the dagger, he had seen her wear the most splendid of dresses to something very similar to what she was wearing now. To him she had always been beautiful - one more dress wouldn't change that.

"As long as you will actually be there I will be happy, Tamina. It's all I need."

"I will be there, Dastan. Don't worry..."

They left for the market and it turned out to be a very successful day for them. Tamina was smiling a lot and she seemed enthusiastic about their little shopping trip. She was opening up to him but by bit and when they passed by a stand selling papyri that had made it here all the way from Egypt, she actually told him a story from her childhood when she had first seen a merchant from a foreign country.

She was warming up to him and for the first time since he had come here - again and under changed circumstances - he felt like there was real potential for their relationship to develop into what they already had before time had been turned back and he had been forced to win her heart all over again. After today Dastan felt like he had a real chance for success and that was a really good feeling...

She hadn't even meant for it to happen but Keyla had felt the need to get out of the treacherous merchant's house and had gone to see more of the city of Alamut. She had heard stories about temples and wells and as it was the day of the market today, she had decided to check it out as well. She had been surprised to see both Dastan and the princess at the market. She couldn't believe her people actually didn't recognize her.

The simple clothing and the wide cloaks they had been wearing to keep their identities hidden didn't do much for them. Actually it had only drawn more attention to them. At least Keyla felt like that was the truth. But she would have been able to single out Dastan in a group of people anytime. She knew him too well not to. Anyway it seemed she was the only one who realized or the only one who cared.

This had given her a chance to lay eyes on the princess of Alamut herself and though she only saw little of her face, she could tell the stories being told about her were true. She was indeed beautiful. She had to grin realizing Dastan could be lucky indeed. At least he would be married off to a really beautiful woman. The last princess the oldest of the princes - Tus - had gotten married to for political reasons because king sharaman had wanted to make allies with her people had been anything but a beauty. Dastan however was lucky - he could be loyal to his king and get a beautiful woman for his first wife all at the same time.

Keyla had witnessed something else as well, something she had not expected. She had seen the way the two acted around each other. She had seen the way Dastan looked at the beautiful princess and she had seen the way she talked to him. Even for somebody not knowing much about love and relationship it was easy to tell there was something between those two that was more than just a bond out of reason. There was a deeper connection that Keyla couldn't quite describe but just knew that it was there.

She had never given him a chance to tell her but now she realized Dastan was truly in love with the princess and it seemed princess Tamina if not loved him, respected him and was willing to get to know him better, making this union into a happy and lasting one. Keyla had been too quick to judge and seeing them together she realized she had been making a mistake - a mistake she needed to right again and that was exactly what she planned to do. She already knew the way into the palace and tonight she would do what she already had debated would have been the best course of action when she returned to the merchant's mansion yesterday. She would meet princess Tamina...

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all your reviews guys! As always - sorry for and spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter. I checked but as always I'm sure I missed a few. It's finally time for Keyla and Tamina to meet! On with the story :-). Hope you like it. **

Keyla had taken the same way into the palace as she had done the last time. It had been a little more difficult for her this time because she carried a small package with her. It was later than the first time as well but she did not want to risk to be seen by anyone. The city streets had been deserted when she had left the merchant's home and she had not seen a single guard anywhere on the palace walls, not even guarding the watchtowers. Just like last time she managed to enter the palace unseen and unharmed.

Finding the princess chamber would be a little more difficult though. She had stumbled into Dastan's chamber by pure chance after all. She was sure about two things - the princess private quarters would not be on the lower floor and they certainly wouldn't be on the same floor Dastan was residing on right now. It wouldn't have been prudent, at least not until they were married.

Keyla carefully slipped past Dastan's chamber. She felt a soft sting in her heart, remembering how she had left him just a day ago, bidding him farewell. She would have to apologize to him. It didn't happen too often but she had been wrong, she had judged too quickly and too harshly and she owed him an apology. But first she wanted to visit the princess and then she would apologize to her friend.

Keyla followed her instinct and climbed up the staircase at the end of the corridor. The strong sent of oranges and something else that she couldn't quite determine filled her nose when she reached the upper staircase. It smelled like a scented bath and it was definitely a scent a woman would use. It seemed like she had been able to find the princess's chamber without much of any trouble.

She took a deep breath, held on tighter to the package she was carrying and stepped through the doorway leading into the princess chamber. A few little candles on a low table in the middle of the room were all the light there was and Keyla kept to the shadows. She didn't want to startle the princess but neither did she want her to alert anyone of her presence. She needed to address her without scaring her and she needed to hurry to explain who she was. Keyla neared the bed but there was nobody in it. She squinted and believed to see a silhouette out on the balcony. Carefully she stepped closer and as she realized she had been right, she addressed the other woman in a low voice.

"Princess Tamina?"

The younger woman spun around abruptly and for the first time Keyla ha da chance to fully take n her features, the delicate frame of her body, the thick, dark hair, the beauty of her face. Keyla had to smile involuntarily - his brothers choice or not - Dastan was lucky to have a wife like this. Keyla realized there was fear and anger both visible in the princess's eyes and her voice was just a hiss when she reacted to her intruder.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"I'm sorry princess for intruding like this but I needed to talk to you. I'm a friend of prince Dastan."

Her features softened almost immediately, which told Keyla that the princess of Alamut had heard about her before. She was pretty sure Dastan had told her, had probably told her about last night as well. Keyla felt bad all of a sudden... She had wanted a chance to talk to princess Tamina unbiased. But one didn't always get what one wished for... She smiled a nervous smile at the princess and took a step back, allowing her a way back into her chamber from the balcony. Just as Keyla had expected, the princess confirmed what she had already believed to be true.

"You are the old friend he talked about? The one he did not invite, the one he was sure he had lost as a friend?"

"I suppose so..."

"He never mentioned you were that beautiful... or female for that matter."

Keyla found herself blushing. Nobody in her entire life had ever called her beautiful... Well that wasn't true - Garsiv had once called her a beautiful woman but even remembering that Keyla shuddered. No - nobody had ever truly called her beautiful and hearing it from a woman as marvelous as the princess, Keyla felt flattered. She needed a moment to find her speech again, nervousness and slight embarrassment sounding from her words.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to keep it from you. We are friends, princess, nothing more. There's no need to hide."

"But he told me you had left, had ended the friendship."

"I was very harsh on him. And very quick with my judgement. I made a mistake, a mistake I came to rectify."

Keyla wasn't sure why she felt the urge to explain her actions to the princess. She had never even met this woman before but still it felt important to have her know that Keyla hadn't meant any harm to Dastan and that she had realized she had made a mistake. The princess seemed to be very patient and forgiving with her though. If she wasn't Keyla had no idea how to explain the soft smile on her lips.

"But why did you come to me then?"

"I will speak with Dastan but I wanted to meet you first. See, he's my friend since we were children and I just wanted to make sure..."

"I was good enough for him?"

"Sort of. But I already had a chance to see for myself. I watched you two on the market today."

The princess had spoken her first words with slight amusement but was now raising her eyebrows in utter surprise as Keyla told her that she had seen her and Dastan at the market. Keyla hid back a grin. Had those two truly believed they hadn't been detected? Their masquerade hadn't been that good... The princess however seemed to truly believe their little act had gone unnoticed.

"But we were in disguise!"

"Not very much. Apart from that I would be able to tell if it was Dastan or not even if he was in a crowded place. I know him very well... Anyway I had a chance to watch you and him, the way you act around each other, the way he looks at you and... I am sure you're good enough for him. Actually I'm sure you're perfect for him."

Tamina just smiled but didn't say anything. Her smile was enough to tell Keyla that the princess was thankful for her... approval. Both women know that the match Dastan had been able to make, the woman he would be married to, was the right one for him. Keyla couldn't quite tell why but she felt strange approving of the princess like this. She wasn't Dastan's mother or related or responsible for him in any other way. She had no right to intervene... But it wasn't the main reason she had come here for anyway. Keyla smiled and finally did what she had wanted to do ever since she saw the princess. She reached out her little wrapped up package to her.

"But that's not all. I know it's not much and you probably have a lot more of them but I wanted to give you a wedding gift."

Tamina took the package from Keyla's hands, placed it on the nearest empty table and started to unwrap it. Keyla watched her nervously, hoping the princess would actually like her little gift. She had seen it at a small stand on the market and had actually taken the time and the money to buy it from the foreign merchant who had it on display. She watched the princess unwrap the package and heard her draw in a sharp intake of air.

"By the gods... This is exquisite. Thank you so much..."

"Keyla, my name is Keyla."

"Thank you, Keyla. This is beautiful."

The princess had looked at her questioningly for a moment to get her to tell her her name and had now refocused her attention on the content of the package. It was a piece of cloth, made from very exquisite cream colored silk, with beads and pearls and heavy embroidery on it. Keyla had felt it was a worthy present for a princess and the future wife of a Persian prince and it seemed the princess felt about this the same way.

"I'm glad you like it."

The two women watched each other, both of them wearing a friendly smile on their faces. Keyla was the first to feel awkward in the situation. She had done and said everything she had wanted to the princess. It was time for her to leave. She pointed to the doorway with an almost wary gesture, her smile turning nervous again.

"I guess I should get going now..."

The princess of Alamut nodded her approval and Keyla turned to leave. She walked up to the door but stopped right before she left the room, turning around to the princess again who was still occupied with her present. Keyla addressed her in a gentle tone once more.

"Princess?"

"Yes."

"I know it's kind of a bold favor to ask but may I?"

"What is it?"

Keyla took a deep breath, gathering her courage. She was a simple woman... or maybe even less than that. She lived in the slums of a Persian city and she had no right to tell this royal woman anything but still she did because she felt she needed to. She looked the princess straight in the eyes, her voice heavy with importance, showing clearly how much the favor, the wish she would ask of the princess meant to her.

"Be good to him, will you. He deserves it."

"I can't promise I will always be. We're both too stubborn and he enjoys teasing me too much... But I promise I will always try."

"That's good enough for me."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Thanks for all your reviews guys! As always - sorry for and spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter. I checked but as always I'm sure I missed a few. Here's one more little transition chapter but I promise the story will pick up again afterwards :-D. Hope you like it. **

*Nasaf - 12 years ago*

"Hide!"

Keyla pressed herself down onto the roof of the stable she had been sitting on, following Dastan's order. They were both grinning at each other trying hard not to laugh. If they did, they would reveal their position and that wasn't a good idea right now. Keyla chuckled when she heard an angry voice right underneath the stable but Dastan - with an urgent gesture - told her to keep quite.

"Where are you? Get down here! Now!"

The one yelling at them was the 15 years old prince Garsiv and he was very angry with them. Given the fact that a couple of seeds from a pomegranate had just landed right on his head, it was no wonder he was angry. Keyla could hear the older boy pace up and down beneath them as if he still hoped for them to come out as he had ordered them to but of course she and Dastan stayed where she was. Right down beneath them, Garsiv was cursing.

"I will tell uncle about this!"

It was the one thing Garsiv always did when he felt he wasn't getting what he wanted and even though it had never even once worked with Dastan, Garsiv still tried. Keyla however bit her lip. She didn't want to get Dastan in trouble. If Garsiv would tell his uncle that she and Dastan had - for the utmost time - had their fun with Garsiv, getting him angry, she was sure Dastan would get an earful... But then again getting up now would mean that the brothers would fight... Garsiv was cursing again and then turned to leave, stomping off across the courtyard . Keyla sat up on the roof again, looking at Dastan.

"Won't you get into trouble?"

"No. My uncle doesn't side with people who can't solve their problems on their own. He'll send Garsiv away... Of course he'll only be more angry with me after that but I think I can handle that."

"The last time you handled it Garsiv ended up with a black eye and you with two broken fingers. I know Garsiv's an idiot but he's stronger than you. I don't want you to get hurt..."

"I won't get hurt. He will curse and yell and let out all of his anger but afterwards it'll be fine again. It's not always easy between us but Garsiv is my brother. We trust each other..."

Keyla had heard Dastan tell her all this before but she had a hard time believing it. She was biased though because she detested Garsiv with a passion. When she had first seen the Persian prince upon a visit to the palace, he had insulted her, had told her they didn't need another filthy street rat around here and when she had tried to attack him, letting her anger out, she had ended up on the ground with the sneering prince standing above her.

She couldn't understand how Dastan was able to come up with loyalty and trust towards Garsiv but she didn't need to understand. It was one of the main reasons why she still lived out on the streets of Nasaf and Dastan had decided to stay at the palace where the king had offered him a new life...

"I wouldn't trust this idiot if my life depended on it. And he's not your brother..."

"Don't start this again, Keyla."

She looked at him for a long moment and then nodded. He was right - arguing about this again would only cause them to be angry with each other and that was not what she had come here for. It wasn't that she didn't see the great chance that had presented itself to Dastan and maybe - had she been in the situation - she would have taken it. But this still felt like an act to her. He was not the king's son and the Persian princes were not his brothers no matter how many times he told her that. He didn't belong here... But it wasn't up to her to make that decision, she could only decide what was the best thing for her and she had decided not to be a part of this adopted palace life. Agreeing to disagree was the one thing they had done to keep them from fighting with each other and Keyla didn't plan on doing otherwise right now. However she felt she had caused Dastan quite enough trouble for one afternoon. She wanted to get up but was pulled back down when her friend grabbed her wrist and held onto it tightly.

"Maybe I should leave."

"No you won't. Garsiv will calm down eventually. I'll be fine. You came to spend some time with me AND Bis and he will be here any minute."

"I still don't get why you have to have weapon's training..."

Keyla said it with a lot of force, maybe more than would have been necessary to state her point. When dastan had first told her about that particular part of his new life she had been horrified. The new clothes, the good food, his own chamber, the maids and cooks and even the teachers that were now showing him things he hadn't even had any idea they existed before - those were good things. But the weapon's training... It was something Keyla was very suspicious about. She feared what would come of it once Dastan was older... Dastan however had never shared her worry.

"Because we are part of the royal Persian family now. Tus and Garsiv have the same kind of training as well."

"I still think it's wrong. Is that why the king brought you here? So that you could fight for him? Doesn't he have enough soldiers?"

"He brought us here because... I'm not sure why he did. He said he saw something in me that touched him... I'm not sure I fully understand but he said he would explain one day when I'm a little older. He's having us trained to live up to what we are now. He's training me to be prepared to be the prince he made me now... and weapon's training is a part of that."

"I can't picture you fighting with the Persian army. You could get killed..."

"I'm 12, Keyla. I don't think there will be any fighting soon."

Dastan was grinning at her but Keyla knew for a fact it was only to calm her down. She could tell from the look in his eyes that she had managed to get him thinking and she knew why. Garsiv - the awful teen Dastan so proudly referred to as his brother - had done nothing but prance around the courtyard of the palace all morning, showing off with the new uniform he had been gifted from his father and the sword that had come with it.

It was the uniform of a commanding officer of the Persian army and young Garsiv seemed eager to finally get a chance to prove himself in battle. Garsiv however had just about reached the age of 15 and he was still a child in her eyes. War - if it was truly necessary - was nothing children should be involved in but it seemed the Persian king was of a different opinion. It was her main reason for being suspicion about the weapon's training dastan attended. She feared what the king would ask of him in a couple of years when he himself had reached the age Garsiv was at now... She could not bear the thought of losing her friend... and she wanted him to know that she was worried about him.

"Your oldest brother - as you refer to them - is with the Persian army at some bordering city fighting right now and Garsiv can't wait to get his first command either. So how long until the king sends you off to invade some foreign city for the empire? Three years? Four, maybe five?"

"Keyla..."

"Do you want that?"

Dastan took a deep breath. The question wasn't easy to answer. He had never really thought about what all this training would be good for once he was a little older. The Persian empire was always at war with some city or warlord or country and as a son to the king it would probably be part of his responsibility to be a part of any kind of war party that would be send out by his king to defend the empire...

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He wasn't afraid but he wasn't as eager as his brother Garsiv to prove himself in battle. He could understand that Keyla was worried. None of the troupes heading out of the city for battle ever came back completely. People died - that was what war was about. But being a prince to the empire Dastan was sure he would always have the luxury of not leading a troupe into battle head on... His oldest brother had always returned back home - scraped, bruised and bandaged at times, but he had always made his way back to his family... To Dastan that meant it would be the same for him. And he did want to do whatever his king and father demanded of him. He owed him this... and Keyla should have known that.

"I owe the king this life, this second chance. I will always be loyal to him, Keyla... And if he thinks it's right..."

"Than you will blindly follow his orders..."

She was glaring at him, her voice harsh now and Dastan knew if he found the wrong words now, they would be fighting again. But it didn't happen. They were interrupted when Bis appeared on the courtyard and frowned seeing them sitting up on the stable. He waved and hurried closer, yelling up at them when he reached them, a happy smile on his face upon seeing his friends.

"There you are! I was looking all over for you. What are you doing here?"

"Hiding from Garsiv."

Bis chuckled hearing Keyla's answer. He could clearly hear the mischief in her voice and he knew she and Dastan had managed to get on the older prince's nerves again, probably making him very angry with them. Keyla especially enjoyed those little pranks but Bis knew she hatred prince Garsiv with a passion. The feeling was pretty much mutual though, he knew that as well... He would have wished his friend's would have waited for them. He had been training with some of the other young recruits at the palace and it had been dull but exhausting. Training the same routine in the burning sun over and over and over again had been very tiresome.

He had taken a quick moment to splash some water into his face to freshen up before he had hurried to meet his friends. It seemed all the fun they had wanted to have spending some time together had already passed and he hadn't even been close to witness any of it. As good as deciding to come with Dastan and live a life at the palace had been for him, his responsibilities sometimes weighed down on that...

"You did have your fun irritating him again, didn't you? Couldn't you have waited for me."

"Sorry."

Bis grinned at them letting them know he wasn't angry in any way. He had known responsibility would be the down side of the decision. It was the very same thing for Dastan. Ever since they had come here, things had changed so rapidly and they had learned so much... It meant a lot more pressure on them, a lot more time that was planned for learning and studying and less time for their friend and living the life as freely as they had when still alone in the streets of Nasaf. But here they were save and they had everything they needed. The positive outweighed the negative by a longshot...

Actually Bis had something to tell his friends, something he was a little surprised they hadn't checked on for themselves until now. But if they had been forced to hide from prince Garsiv it wasn't that much of a surprise. He waved for them to come down to the courtyard and meet with him, grinning at them when they had climbed down and the little group was now standing together.

"I went by the kitchen when I came here. Laya is making pastries..."

"What are we doing still standing here then. Come on."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	17. Chapter 16

**WOW! More than 100 reviews! You guys are great! As always - sorry for and spelling and grammar mistakes in that chapter. It's time for Keyla and Dastan to meet again :-D. Hope you like it. **

*Nasaf - 12 years ago* Keyla had found her way back to Dastan's chamber pretty much blindly, allowing her thoughts to wander off. The memory that had come to her mind was one of many and all of them evolved around the same problem - they had always disagreed about loyalty towards the king. Keyla felt like Dastan had given up a part of himself and his freedom for the life offered to him and was now indebted to the king. She on the other hand had spared her freedom but would never have the luxuries Dastan called his own now... In her eyes, her life was the better one but in all those years ever since Dastan had taken his place among the royal family they had never come to an understanding and they probably never would.

But Kelya knew when she was wrong and she had been very, very wrong last night. She had judged this union between Dastan and the princess of Alamut under false pretenses and she had been biased by her own believes. She had done him wrong and she would now right those wrongs, even if it was hard for her to admit that she had been the one making a mistake. She was a proud, stubborn woman but she was good at heart - good enough to admit when she had been wrong and hurtful.

She reached the doors to Dastan's chamber and took a deep breath. He probably wouldn't make this easy for her and he had every right not to. She had hurt his feelings and had abandoned their life long friendship just like that. It wasn't something one got over from one day to the next. He would probably still be very angry with her... But he would listen and he would accept her apology, Keyla was sure of that. He loved her too much - as a friend and someone as close to a sister as it would ever get - to just send her away... At least that was what she hoped for.

She was surprised to find light still falling from the room out onto the corridor at this late hour of the night. She had expected Dastan to be asleep already. It would have made things way easier if she would have woken him from his sleep. He would have been less alert and hopefully less eager to tease and fight with her because she was sure that was what she was in for. Dastan knew her well enough to know how much she hated to admit a mistake... But maybe this was the punishment she deserved for hurting her friend the way she had done last night. She took another deep breath and entered the chamber.

"Keyla!"

She was detected as soon as she entered and winced but relaxed realizing the voice belonged not to Dastan but to somebody equally familiar to her and Bis actually sounded happy to see her. She bit her lip. She hadn't even thought about going to see him or letting him know what had happened between her and Dastan... She really had been a bad friend these last couple of days. She opened up her arms and allowed her friend to hug her as he now stepped closer. She was pulled into a tight hug and returned the smile she was given.

"Bis! I had no idea you would be here..."

"We were just going over the plans for the king's arrival tomorrow night... I... I thought you..."

"I needed to talk to Dastan again. Could you... leave us alone for a moment?"

She stopped Bis before he could refer to the events of last night. Obviously Dastan had told Bis about it... Keyla shot him a quick glance and found herself surprised to see Dastan speechless. She had expected him to react to her renewed presence in some way... Actually she had expected anger from him or at least sarcasm, but he seemed completely overtaken by her return. She couldn't blame him though. After her rather dramatic exit last night, how could he have come to expect she would ever return. Luckily Bis seemed to realize there was need for the two of them to speak in private and he agreed to Keyla's proposal without protest.

"Sure. It's good to see you here. I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

Bis gave her one more look and another hug before he turned to leave. Would she have turned to look at her friend again, she would have seen the meaningful, questioning look he gave Dastan. She did see Dastan's reaction though who was shrugging his shoulders. Keyla hid back a sigh. Dastan was completely aghast by the fact that Keyla had returned to the palace and she could tell he was worried what she had to tell him this time.

"Keyla? I thought you had left..."

"No. I... couldn't. I... I came back to apologize..."

"Apologize?"

He wasn't mocking as Keyla had expected, he was truly surprised to see her here again. Keyla cast her eyes down. She had hurt him with what she had said and it seemed he didn't want to believe that she was now here to actually apologize for what she had said to him. It seemed he believed it was all just a trick and the one major flaw that Keyla always had battled with came to the surface right now. She was getting impatient with him, wanting him to understand what she was saying instead of worrying and doubting. She took a step closer to him, urgency and slight anger in her voice.

"Yes, you idiot, I came back to apologize for what I said to you last night. I think I... might have been wrong about some of the things I said... or all of the things I said. I never gave you a chance to explain and I jumped to conclusions about you and the princess... But I was wrong..."

"How so?"

Dastan still wasn't mocking her and by now Keyla was truly surprised about his reactions. He had never been that patient and forgiving with her before. It almost seemed like something about him had changed... Keyla pushed the thought aside, telling herself she should be grateful that Dastan was willing to listen to her without any further discussion. She was lucky she got a chance for an apology after all. Had he been angry with her and as hurt as she believed, he could have done something as punishment to her. Like calling the guards... or sending her away. But he did not. She hurried to go on explaining, not wanting to press her luck too far.

"I saw you on the market today... I saw the way you looked at her and I know this is not just some union out of political necessity. You really do love her..."

"Yes, I do..."

"And she's a really nice woman."

Dastan frowned at Keyla. He had not expected that kind of comment from her but then again he had never expected her to return either. She had surprised him - and in the most positive of ways - for coming back here and apologizing to him for what she had done wrong. It wasn't something she did often, admitting her mistakes. In fact he could only remember a handful of other times when she had done it. He wondered how she knew about Tamina though. She had never met her... But Dastan was quickly taught otherwise.

"How would you know?"

"I came back to visit her and I brought her a wedding gift."

"You went to visit Tamina? Why?"

"Because I wanted to make sure..."

"What?"

Dastan couldn't keep the feeling of anger from winning him over any more. He wasn't even sure what it was he was so angry about. After all he knew he could trust Keyla with his life. She never would have done anything to hurt Tamina. But the fact that his friend had so easily managed to enter the palace and had gotten to the princess's chamber without anyone noticing, struck him to the very core. If Keyla could do it, there were other, more sinister forces who could do the same thing and he wouldn't even notice... He had vowed to protect Tamina with his life, to never let her slip from him again. Right now he had to realize it wasn't so easy... But none of that was Keyla's fault and her next words made him feel bad for reacting so harshly towards her. She only had meant him well...

"That she was good enough for you..."

"Keyla..."

"She is, Dastan. I have no doubt whatsoever. She is perfect - friendly, helpful, a bit stubborn and not to mention very, very beautiful. You're lucky."

"I know I am."

He was grinning now - not only because he indeed knew how lucky he was for having a woman like Tamina be his first wive - but because he knew he also had Keyla back in his life. She had not only come to apologize, she had also come here to tell him that leaving him, leaving their friendship behind had been a mistake. A mistake she wanted to rectify. She had no idea how glad he was that she had done so. Ever since she had left last night he had felt like a part of him had been lost forever and it had overshadowed everything... Now it was back.. He reacted out of instinct and took a couple of steps closer to Keyla, pulling her into a hug. They stood in silence for a few moments and it was Keyla who let go first, smiling at him with slight embarrassment visible on her face. She wasn't usually one for overly emotional gestures.

"Well... Anyway, I came to tell you I am sorry for what I said. I was wrong about you and her and I wish you all the happiness in the world for your marriage. That was all I came here for."

"Thank you, Keyla. It means a lot to know you're not angry with me for this marriage. And it means a lot to know you will still be a part of my life..."

She was nodding her agreement vehemently, letting him know there was no way she would not be a part of his life from now until forever. She felt entirely stupid for saying what she had said to him last night now and she was glad he had let her back into his life this easily. She had expected more of a fight from his side but she was happy he hadn't made her work harder. It was difficult enough for her already. But he was happy now, she was as well and their relationship had returned back to a normal state. It was time for her to go...

"I think I should be leaving now..."

"Keyla, wait!"

She had only taken a couple of steps and hadn't even reached the door to his chamber yet, when Dastan stopped her. She turned around again, looking into her friend's face who seemed nervous and almost a little shy. She frowned at him and had to hide back a smile hearing the pleading tone in Dastan's voice as he took one more step into her direction, making a half inviting half helpless gesture towards her.

"Come to the wedding. Please... Be my guest, enjoy the feast, be happy for me and with me. I want you there. Please?"

"It's a royal wedding, Dastan... I don't think I belong..."

"It is MY wedding, Keyla. Of course you belong there!"

There was more force in his voice than he had wanted but he needed her to understand and he would not start yet another argument with her about the fact that she had no place among the royalty he had been adopted to as a child. For once he just wanted her to do as he asked and agree to a proposal such as this even though it meant spending an afternoon and evening among the royal family of Persia. She had denied herself a place among them years ago and she had always stood her ground on that decision but this was a special occasion and for once, Keyla decided, she was able to let her convictions slip. She smiled and nodded at Dastan.

"Alright. I will come."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	18. Chapter 17

**As it's already pretty late around here and I am very tired, I didn't take the time to check for any spelling mistakes – sorry if there are some. Story will be picking up on the action a little noe - hope you like it. :-) **

Keyla had returned back to the merchant's house feeling truly happy for the first time ever since she had heard about Dastan's impending wedding. At first she had been angry because nobody had even thought of her to let her know, than she had been angry with him after she believed to have found out it was a wedding out of political necessity and then... then she had seen her error and had realized Dastan was truly in love with the Alamutian princess and this marriage was what he - what the both - wanted.

She had never slept as good as she had done this night and she found herself waking up with a smile on her face the next morning. It was still very early, she could tell. The sun had just come up and it was still very quiet inside the merchant's mansion. She got up, splashed some water on her face and dressed herself up again. With the invite to the wedding it might have been a good idea to just ask Dastan to get her another place to stay but what had been told to her by the merchant last night had not left her mind and still troubled her.

She had neither told Dastan nor Tamina about it because she didn't have any proof but only a few words from a disgruntled citizen of Alamut. Maybe there was nothing to it. But if there was, Keyla wanted to stay here and keep an eye on the merchant. If he planned any kind of scheme against Dastan and the princess she would be able to warn them. Therefor it was necessary for her to keep her masquerade intact for a little while longer...

She carefully opened the door that went out to the hallway and gave a view of the yard downstairs. She was surprised to find a fully set table right in the middle of the courtyard. Maybe she was wrong to believe that the rich merchants started their day late. It seemed her host was up already... and he had the unnerving skill to appear out of nowhere. She winced when she heard his voice calling for her and watched him reappear from the shadows of one of the buildings downstairs.

"Keyzam! My young traveler it is good to see you up. We haven't seen much of you since we granted you hospitality. Come downstairs. Have breakfast with me."

"Of course, master. I would be honored."

"Wonderful."

Keyla would have liked to avoid the merchant but maybe having this meal with him would give her a chance to find out more about that scheme she believed he was planning and that he had implied something about last night. If she really wanted a chance to bring some proof to Dastan and Tamina and prevent a potentially hostile situation from them, she had to stay here, listen and watch out. Therefor she put a fake smile on her face and nodded her approval, hoping to sound grateful.

She went downstairs and sat down at the set table opposite of the merchant. The same young girl that had shown her to her room three days ago was now filling their glasses with water. Keyla picked a couple pieces of fruits from a plate and watched the merchant with a glance from time to time. They ate in silence for a while and Keyla couldn't - for the life of her - come up with anything to say that would sound like small talk and would not make the merchant suspicious. She couldn't just go about and ask him about his plans...

But she never needed to. By the time the young female servant had returned with two linen towels and a bowl full of warm, scented water for them to wash their hands in, Keyla had lost all hope there would actually be any kind of conversation. The merchant surprised her though by grabbing her wrist and stopping her from getting up, leaning in closer to her just as soon as the young servant had disappeared. He was whispering to her now, a conspitorial look in his eyes.

"Well master Keyzam. I do admit I did not only invite your for breakfast out of hospitality. I have a task for you."

"What kind of a task?"

"Remember that we talked about the princess wedding and my... take on things last night?"

"Yes."

A sudden nervousness that made her feel almost nauseous grabbed a hold of Keyla. She had not even been able to ask him about this, had no longer believed there would be any conversation about it and now - out of the blue - the merchant was inviting her in on his plans. At least that was what she believed he was up to right now. She leaned in closer, desperately waiting for him to continue, hoping she would finally get some kind of useful information that she could bring to Dastan and the princess to help protect them from whatever it was the merchant and his allies were planning.

"I want you to deliver a message to a friend of mine, somebody who feels the same way I do about the wedding. The same way you do... "

"I'd gladly be willing to."

"Good. You can leave after breakfast. Take this letter and make sure it reaches it's destination. You will have to go to the house of merchant Malik. Make sure only he reads the letter and bring me back an answer from him. Will you do that."

The merchant had pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his robe that had been sealed with wax. Keyla tried to keep herself under control but her fingers were still shaking slightly when she grabbed the piece of paper from the merchants hands. She swallowed hard. This later might be containing a message that was dangerous for the royalty of this city, a treachery planned, a scheme unfolding... She quickly placed it inside her own robe, trying to conceal her feelings of fear and worry. Her voice was surprisingly steady for the way she felt right now.

"Yes, master."

"Good. Now eat up."

Keyla hadn't been able to eat anything any more and just a couple of minutes later she had risen from the table. The merchant had given her last instructions as to how to get to his friends house and now Keyla was on her way, the parchment securely hidden inside her robe and her thoughts racing a million miles a minute. She would have wished she would have been able to read the letter but she had no knowledge whatsoever of the Alamutian tongue and even if the letter had been written in Farsi she still would have been in trouble. She had learned to read a long while ago but there never had been much use for it in her life and by now she was only able to read a couple of basic words... She wouldn't have been able to read that letter if her life depended on it. Now however she feared it was even worse. Dastan's and Tamina's life could depend on it...

Keyla debated just taking the letter to the palace but she could not tell what was inside it and maybe she would be framing a couple of merchants for something truly innocent. Maybe they were planning something harmless or maybe she had misinterpreted and they planned nothing at all. Just because they didn't like the fact that their princess was marrying a prince of Persia didn't meant they were planning to harm them in any way. She could only make sure by following through with her task and somehow getting more information...

She reached the merchant Malik's home and was allowed in and brought to what looked like a private room immediately upon telling one of his servants who had sent her. Malik appeared in the room not even a minute later and just reached out a hand not saying anything to her. Keyla handed him the letter with trembling fingers and watched with growing discomfort as the merchant read the letter. She had almost screamed in protest and needed to stop herself from reaching for the parchment when the merchant neared the nearest candle illuminating the room and held the piece of parchment to it. It caught fire immediately, burning to ash in front of her eyes. The merchant looked at her with a stern expression.

"Tell him my men are on the way."

He didn't say anything else and left the room, leaving her standing there, speechless and unable to move for a moment. It took a few seconds that seemed to go on forever before her brain started working at her and screamed at her to run. No matter what the merchant's words had been about, it couldn't be anything good and she needed to hurry. She needed to get back to her host, tell him what Malik had said and needed to somehow pressure him to tell her what was going on. Even if it meant revealing who she truly was or what she truly was after, even if it meant threatening or even hurting the man - she had to know!

Keyla ran through the streets of Alamut not caring that she left a lot of disgruntled citizens behind her in which she had run into. She had no time for politeness or careful behavior. She needed to get back and she needed answers. When she reached the alley that let to the merchant's house she slowed her pace and walked on slower, catching her breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and was composed again when she entered the merchant's house for the second time that day, being led inside by a servant. She didn't even need to ask for the master of the house. He was already waiting for her anxiously, pulling her aside as soon as she entered the yard.

"What did he say?"

"I was supposed to tell you his men are on the way."

"Good."

This was the crucial moment. If she didn't get him to talk to her now, it would most definitely be too late. Whatever those men the merchant Malik had sent on their way were up to, if she didn't find out now, their task would be done before she could warn anyone about it. She gathered all her courage, forcing her nervousness down and looked the merchant right in the eyes with a demanding look on her face. There was urgency and authority in her voice, hopefully enough to get him to tell her what she had to know.

"What is all this about? If you use me as your messenger, I have a right to know what is going on, what I'm used for."

"Well... You remember what we talked about last night..."

"Yes. The wedding and my... disgust about it."

The merchant hesitated for another moment that seemed like an eternity to Keyla and then a small, hard, self-satisfied grin appeared on his face that let a cold shiver run down her spine. He leaned in closer to her, whispering his next words into her ear and Keyla's breath caught in her throat when she heard the pure hatred that lay in his words and that clearly told her these people were not just planning some sort of prank but they were truly going to do something that would harm either Dastan or Tamina or the both of them...

"Let's just say as of tonight there will be no need to be disgusted about it because there will be no wedding. There will never be a Persian reign in Alamut and that is what we made sure of."

"Good... That is good..."

Keyla would have wished to attack the merchant right there and then instead of feigning her agreement to what he was saying but she needed to do it. If she wanted a chance to get out of here unharmed, she needed for the merchant to believe that she was agreeing and actually enjoying his little plan. She put on a fake smile all the while keeping herself from wrapping her hands around the merchant's neck and feverishly searched for the right words to say to get out of here and not have him get suspicious at the same time.

"Will you still need me for another task today? I... I wanted to get to the market, I need a couple of supplies."

"No, your task is done, young traveler. Feel free to leave. But you should be back by nightfall. A celebration is in order and you are invited to be a part of it. After all you played a crucial role in our plans..."

"Thank you... I will..."

Keyla bowed to the merchant a little and turned to leave his house again She was tensed up like never before and half expected an arrow or a knife to fly her way and plunge into her back, stopping her from leaving but nothing of that sort happened. She forced herself to take slow, casual steps and left the house without anyone taking any more notice of her. She walked on like that until she rounded the corner of the alley outside and was out of sight of anyone who worked or lived at the merchant's house. Than she broke into a run. She needed to get to the palace and warn Dastan and Tamina before it was too late...

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	19. Chapter 18

**More action to come! :-D Sorry but the chapter is a little shorter than the last few. Hope that's okay :-) As always – sorry for any spelling mistakes. Hope you like it. :-) **

Keyla didn't even think about taking the same way she had done the last two times when entering the palace. It would take too long and in broad daylight it was just too much of a risk. If she was seen and arrested or - even worse - attacked, she would never get a chance to talk to the princess or Dastan or anyone else who had any authority at the palace. Of course it was just as risky to just storm through the main gate and demand that she would be led to the princess but as of now, Keyla couldn't think of any other option.

She rushed through the street once again leaving the people in her way behind disgruntled but she cared even less than she had when she had hurried back to her host's home. Now it was even more pressing that she arrived at her destination as soon as possible. She could just hope to run into somebody wise enough to listen to what she had to say and realize that there was a real threat at hand.

Keyla reached the main gate that lead to the palace completely out of breath. She had hoped she would be lucky but there were two armed guard on each side of the gate and they already eyed her suspiciously when she was walking up to them now. When she reached the gate, the taller one of them stepped into her way. Keyla could have screamed in frustration. She had no time for this kind of distraction. She needed to find Dastan or princess Tamina!

"Where to young traveler?"

"You have to let me through!"

Instead of listening to her as she had foolishly hoped for, the two men started laughing. But she wasn't fooled by their laughter. Maybe they were amused by her demand but they never even for a moment let their guard slip. She watched in horror as both of them placed a hand on the handle of their swords. She knew they were trained and ready to kill her if she would pester them any longer but she had no choice. She needed to get her precious information to the royal couple.

"Yeah sure. We hear that a couple dozen times a day."

"It is important!"

"And that we never heard before either."

"Damn you, you idiots!"

"Hey! Watch your words!"

One of the two guards was about to draw his sword now and Keyla squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She was doing Dastan and Tamina no good. What she did manage though was to get herself killed right in front of the palace without ever getting a chance to stop the impending treachery from happening. She just had to find another way into the palace. There was always a way in...

She wouldn't be getting anywhere with these two guards. Her frustration brought tears to her eyes. She needed to warn Dastan and Tamina. She just had to. But for once luck was on Keyla's side. When she opened her eyes again she barely could believe what she saw. Princess Tamina was just crossing the courtyard right outside the palace. Keyla didn't care if the guards would attack her anymore She ran right into them, screaming for the princess at the top of her lungs.

"Princess Tamina! I need to speak with princess Tamina!"

The guards were cursing at her, trying to pull her back but Keyla only had eyes for the princess. A wave of relief washed over her when she realized she had managed to get Tamina's attention. The princess was looking into her direction, detecting the turmoil at the palace gate with a frown on her face. Keyla did not hesitate. She yelled out to her once more, her voice toppling over with urgency.

"Princess it is me! Keyla!"

It took an unbearably long moment but then recognition dawned on the princess face and when Keyla saw a smile appear on it, she knew she was on the safe side again. Moments later the princess changed her path and came walking to the main gate with quick long steps. All of her royal authority lay in her every move and her words when she addressed the two palace guards now that were still trying to hold Keyla back.

"Let go of her!"

"But my princess..."

"I said let go!"

The guards reacted immediately and Keyla felt the pressure that had just been put on her arms seconds ago disappear. The princess gave her a soft wave, motioning to her to follow her and Keyla hurried to get past the guards. She had no more time to lose. She looked around the square and could find no sign of Dastan anywhere around. She would have preferred not to tell this story twice.

"What is it you came here for, Keyla?"

"Where's Dastan? He should hear this too!"

"He's not here. He's at the main gate, overseeing the last of the preparations for his father's arrival this afternoon..."

She could not wait for somebody to fetch Dastan, she needed to tell the princess now. Steps needed to be taken. Keyla nodded her head, took a step closer to Tamina and lowered her voice. She didn't want the whole palace to know about the treachery that had unfolded. Maybe there were people here who were in on the plan. She didn't want them to be warned. She hurried to explain what she had come across, whispering into the princess's ear.

"You need to send troupes to the houses of the merchants Malik and Feroz. They plan to attack you and Dastan I believe they plan to murder the both of you!"

"Why would you say such a thing?"

Tamina sounded taken aback by Keyla's statement and for a moment she eared the princess would not believe her, would even send her away without acknowledging the danger. Keyla was sure this was hard to take. She knew for a fact that the merchant feroz was one of the wealthiest and most known people of the city of Alamut. The charges she had come forth with were very serious. She accused those men of treachery and keyla was sure the punishment win Alamut was the same as it was throughout the Persian empire. Those men would be executed. But it was the truth and she needed for Tamina to listen to her and believe her.

"The merchant Feroz spoke to me about your wedding last night. He told me he was disgusted by the fact that you chose to marry into the Persian royal family but that measures would be taken. I didn't think anything of it at first but this morning he sent me on a mission to deliver a mission to the merchant Malik and he had me return with the answer that he would send his men on the way. The letter that was given to him and that I was asked to deliver, he burned after reading it so I have no knowledge what it said. But when I asked Feroz about it, leaning on him a bit he said there was no more worries about the wedding because there wouldn't be one. He plans to kill you, I'm sure of it!"

"What exactly did he say?"

Keyla had never felt more relieved in her life than in this very moment when the princess questioned her about what she had come across. She believed her otherwise she had just told her off and had send her away. But Keyla had managed not only to win her attention but to convince her that what she was telling her was the truth. Keyla tried hard to keep her nervous excitement and worry at bay so that she could fully concentrate on what exactly it had been the merchant had told her before she had left for the palace to give the information to the princess.

"He said there would be no wedding and that he and the man he planned this with would never allow a Persian reign in Alamut..."

Even while she was repeating the words, a breathtaking horror grabbed a hold of Keyla. She had no idea why she hadn't realized this before. She had been so preoccupied with getting to the palace in time that she had not thought about the merchants words very thoroughly. He had never even said a word about the princess or about feeling disgruntled about what she had done. He had always only spoken about the Persians...

All of a sudden the message she had delivered and what she had come to see at the other merchant's house made sense to her. They had not send out men to attack the princess. In fact this had never been about the princess at all. Keyla looked into Tamina's eyes and she saw the same horror mirrored in them that she felt right now. They both voiced there realization at exactly the same time, worry and sheer desperation audible in their voices.

"Dastan..."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	20. Chapter 19

**One more flashback for you before we return to the action. It has only been for reviews this time but I'll be nice :-P Didn't check for any spelling mistakes this time but I still hope you like it. :-) **

*9 years ago - Nasaf*

Dastan tried hard to remember the last time he had been this nervous. He couldn't. It had been his sixteenth birthday just a couple of days ago and his father - the king - had given him two things on that day. A present and an order. The present had been a leathern and iron clad body armor alongside with a pair of swords. The order had been to follow his two older brothers to the southern borders of the empire and crush a rebellion that was underway in one of the cities there.

This was what he had been trained for for years, what his brothers had been telling him about ever since he was little, what was supposed to be an adventure and a great honor all at the same time. But still he was only one thing - he was terrified. He had seen men return from battle and somehow they never seemed to be the same. Apart from the obvious fact that some of them returned with scrapes and bruises, blodied uniforms and bandages or even missing limbs they still had when they had left, there was that look in those men's eyes that terrified him the most.

Some of them looked like they had actually died on a battlefield and only an empty shell had returned. As he had found out upon taking the courage to ask one of those men - these were soldiers who had lost good friends in battle...

Dastan felt even more afraid knowing that he wasn't the only one the king had honored with the order of assault to the bordering city that was now rising against the empire. Bis - his very best friend and the same age as him - would come with him to fight with the Persian army... Unlike Dastan though his friend seemed completely unaware of the danger. He was thrilled and couldn't wait to go.

Dastan had gone through to things ever since the king had ordered him to go to his first battle. He had been sleepless and he had felt sick a lot. It was the morning of their departure in just a couple of hours but as of now it was still dark outside. Dastan however had been lying awake for hours. He had not been able to fall asleep and he was sure those last couple of hours of darkness until the sun came up would bring him no peace either.

He got out of bed and reached for his clothes. He knew it wasn't a good idea to leave the palace at the eve of going into battle. If somebody saw him leave or if one of his brothers or the servants came looking for him and found his room empty, he would most definitely get into trouble. But he needed to get out of here, needed to get away from the palace for at least a little while and needed to clear his head.

He was careful not to make a sound when he left his chamber and looked out into the corridor. There were no guards outside but this early in the morning it had to be expected. There was an easy way out of the palace through the window at the end of the corridor. It was just two stories down to the main courtyard in front of the palace but he couldn't very well use the main gate to leave. There would be guards there for sure and he couldn't risk to run into them.

Of course there were other ways in and out of the palace and if his father or one of his brothers had known about how easily he was able to slip in and out of here, he probably would have experienced something that hadn't happened since he had first been adopted to the family - he would have been grounded... He had to grin at the thought. It was a good thing he had his chances to get awa from the royal palace from time to time. There was a life still out there, a life he had left behind a long time ago but that he still liked to return to sometimes... And that was exactly what he planned to do right now. He wanted a chance to return to the life he had left behind... Because today - and it was one of the very rare times - he wished he would have decided differently.

He slipped out of his room and walked down the corridor to the window. He climbed out the window and reached up the ornamented wall, climbing to the next two floors where the wall surrounding the palace was closest. He took a jump backwards and landed right on top of the wall. From here it was easy. On the outer side of the wall there were a couple of arrows stuck into the wall, leading the way down. It was a pretty deep fall for the last few meters, as the last arrow stuck in the wall about 3 and a half meters above ground but Dastan was used to it by now.

He always wondered why his family had never found out about this. He knew the king kept his city safe and there were regular inspections of the city and palace walls... Maybe they just hadn't been very thorough. Right now he didn't care about it very much though. He just cared that there was a way for him to get in and out of the palace unnoticed and hopefully he would feel better and less terrified when he returned. That was the goal of his little endavour.

The city lay silent when he walked down the streets and small alleys that lead towards the slums of Nasaf. He would have found the way even if he was blind. The darkness of the city streets posed no problem to him and without running into any troubles from any beggars or thieves, Dastan reached the ruin that adjourned the house he had wanted to get to. He climbed up the staircase, reaching the roof of the ruined building and walked to the very edge. He took one deep breath before breaking into the run and jumped right of the edge at the other side of the building, landing on the next rooftop with a thud.

He now was where he had wanted to go, reached for the trap door concealed by the darkness of the night and climbed down the ladder into the room below. His eyes needed a moment to adjust as it was even darker in here than it was outside but before he had a chance to make his presence known, the cold steel of a blade pressed against his throat. He gasped but didn't get a chance to explain anything. The blade disappeared as soon as it had appeared and he was spun around as somebody grabbed his shoulder. Now he was looking right into Keyla's surprised and angry face.

"Dastan?"

"I'm sorry I came here like this..."

"It's the middle of the night!"

"I know. I'm sorry..."

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. He had come here for support but instead he had - understandably so - managed to make Keyla angry. He had no idea why he hadn't thought about this earlier but he should have known that Keyla was not the right person to go to for support. She hated the guards and the army, hated it when troupes were sent to fight for the empire in - what she called a ridiculous attempt to expand an empire already too large for it's own good - a war and she had never shared his loyalty towards the king... But still he had come here and even in the darkness of the room his friend could detect he was worried. Her voice was softer now, reaching out to him but Dastan did no longer know what to tell her.

"What is it? What's wrong with you. You look shaken..."

"There's something I didn't tell you... couldn't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because I knew what your take on it would be and I didn't want to fight with you..."

Without him noticing Keyla had turned and he winced when all of a sudden a single light illuminated the room. She had lit a candle in order to finally get a chance to look at his features. She was worried as to what she was see and when she realized how sleep deprived, pale and exhausted he looked, Keyla bit her lip. He was talking in riddles though and if there really was something Dastan needed to talk to her about, he needed to try again.

"Dastan, you're not making any sense at all! What is wrong with you?"

"The king... he's sending our troupes to the borders of the empire to crush an impending rebellion before it causes an uproar..."

"I know this."

She wasn't getting where he was going with this and she was slowly turning impatient. It made it all the harder on Dastan. He loved Keyla, she was like a sister to him and he knew he could trust her with anything. He would have trusted her if his life depended on it. But whenever she reacted like this - with this harsh tone of hers like she always knew what was best and everybody else was wrong - he hated to tell her anything at all. But he needed someone to talk to and Keyla was the only one he could think of who was not utterly excited or honored by the thought of going into battle. He swallowed hard and tried to compose himself, finally telling her what he had come here for.

"I was... ordered to go with them."

"He's sending you into battle?"

"Yes."

Keyla stared at Dastan in disbelieve and horror for a long moment, unable to even say a single word. This was what she had always feared the most ever since Dastan had been adopted to the royal family. Persia was an empire epxanding by war and it was the duty of the king's sons to defend and fight for this empire... She had known ever since Dastan had started weapon's training that there would come a day when she would have to see him off to battle, hoping and praying for his safe return. But she had not thought it to be this early. He had just turned sixteen a couple of days ago... This wasn't fair!

"But he can't! You're only sixteen!"

"Garsiv was the same age when..."

"I don't care how old he was! He can't do this! It's not right!"

"He's my father, Keyla... and the king. I'm his son and a prince of Persia. It's my responsibility and a great honor..."

"Is that what they told you? Then why do you sound so terrified?"

"Because I don't know what to expect! I don't know what will happen... I don't know if I will even have the courage to show up..."

She had not meant to sound so harsh and she felt even worse about it detecting the soft shaking in her friend's voice. Dastan didn't just look afraid, he truly WAS afraid of what was ahead of him - the path the king had chosen for him and that he couldn't escape from. She would have loved to say something, anything to encourage him and put his mind at ease but she was at a loss for words. This whole messed up situation had left her speechless... Now she was truly losing her friend to the life he had chosen, to the king that had adopted him into his family...

She had never truly seen her friend defeated before but right now this was exactly what Dastan looked like. He looked like he knew there was a good chance he wouldn't return and even though Keyla logically knew that neither the king nor the two princes would ever let any harm come to Dastan, she was still just as worried about him. It was just too soon... to soon for him to become a warrior for the empire, fighting for his king and fulfilling his duty. It was too soon for him to truly become a prince of Persia. She watched him as he cast his eyes down, his voice barely more than a whisper as he turned to leave her.

"I just... I came to say goodbye."

"Stop this! Stop acting like you won't come back!"

"But maybe I won't... It's a battle Kelya... People die in battle..."

It didn't sound like good bye but like a farewell, like he was sure he would never see her again. Keyla reached out to him, holding him back without even giving it a second thought. She couldn't let him go like this. With a mindset like this, he was bound to run into trouble upon the first sight of battle. She needed for him to believe in himself and she needed for him to know that there was no doubt whatsoever of his safe return. If he didn't believe that he would make it through this very first battle his king was sending him to fight in, he wouldn't - it was as simple as that.

"Your brothers always returned. You're the king's son. They'll make sure you'll be fine... And you will have the courage, Dastan, I know this. You have never been a coward all you life even if the situation might have demanded it. You will find the strength when it's needed and Dastan please listen to me for once in your life but - even if you don't think it's right - be bold. Shying away from what is ahead of you will only get you in trouble. You cannot hesitate, you cannot doubt yourself."

They just looked at each other in silence for a very long moment and finally Keyla pulled him into a hug. She didn't want to let go again, just wanted to keep him here, hide him here and keep him out of harms way. But when she did and saw the look on his face that had changed from fear to determination, she knew he would be alright. He had just needed somebody to reassure him, to tell him he would be fine. When she let go of him now, it felt like he was slipping away but she called herself stupid. He would return - end of discussion. But still she felt the need to make him promise.

"And please come back home safely."

"I will give it my best."

"Not the answer I was looking for..."

The soft grin that appeared on his face was more reassurance than any words ever could have been. Even though she had just used a few, well-chosen words, it had been enough to reassure him and make him feel less terrified and worried about the battle he was headed into. He grabbed her by the arm, gently squeezing it once more before turning to leave for sure this time. Keyla gave him a soft smile in return.

"I will. I promise."

"Good."

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Back to the story and the action now. It has only been four reviews I think but I'll be kind. Hopefully more of you will be willing to leave some feedback :-). Once again I didn't check for any spelling mistakes but I still hope you like it. :-) **

Keyla was running. She had been running ever since she had left the palace and the princess behind. It was more than a mile from the palace to the main gate but she just had to be ther ein time. She had lost so much precious time and if only she had listened more closely she could have used that time to get to Dastan faster. Instead she had wasted it on informing the princess about a threat that she was never even endangered to. The Alamutians would never harm their royal leader... but the would harm the man that had invaded their city and was now forced upon them by a union thorugh marriage. She should have known it was Dastan they were after, not Tamina. But she had never seen that danger for him and now she was deeply worried she would be to late to help him...

Tamina had given her a quick description how to get to the main gate the fastest and Keyla was thankful for that now. As worried as she was - her thoughts evoling about what possibly had already happened to Dastan in all that time she had wasted - she probably would have gotten lost within the city's streets and alleys in no time. This way she was getting to the gate fast and she felt it was necessary. She had no idea what expected her there but she was sure Dastan needed her help.

She tried to remind herself that he was a warrior - trained since childhood, experienced from many battles... He would be able to stand his ground... at least for a while. She was sure the merchants were aware that Dastan was no spoiled prince but fierce and merciless in battle. They had talked about men they had sent which meant he was outnumbered. Any help that she could offer him would be grately appreciated and maybe even fit to save his life...

Keyla could see the city walls close by now. She had to be near the gate. It was just a few more small alleys down and she would have reached it. She abruptly turned from the main street - as Tamina had advised her. As it was closing in on noon it was very quiet outside, the streets mostly abandoned. Therefor she could hear the ongoing battle long before she saw it and she quickened her pace.

Her lungs were burning by now but she ignored the pain in her chest and went on. When she rounded the next corner she came to a slithering halt. She had found Dastan... but he wasn't alone. Malik's men had reached him and they were trying their best to make sure the task given by their master would be fulfilled. There were four of them, all heavily armed with either a buckler and a sword, or wielding two swords and they had managed to surround the Persian prince.

Keyla had never been more thankful to the fact that the Persian empire was one expanding through war and it's princes were trained for that kind of endavor. Had it been any different, she was sure Dastan wouldn't have left the palace to oversee the preparations for his father's arrival armed. He would have been completely helpless to the attack. This way he was unprepared but at least he was able to defend himself.

She watched the scene in sheer horror for along moment before she was able to even react. So far it seemed neither one - not the for men nor Dastan - had been able to win the upper hand in this battle. Dastan looked unharmed but so did the attackers - apart from one of them who had a bleeding cut on his thigh that didn't look serious though. Relief washed over her upon the realization that Dastan was fine. She had no idea how long this battle had been going on but judging from the beads of sweat on his forehead, Dastan had been fending his attackers off for quite a while.

She watched as two of the man attacked him simultaniously. But he was able to block their attacks, turned around just in time to fend off a third attacker coming from behind and - as the man taken by surprise let down his guard for just a moment - was able to crush his elbow into the man's face. The attacker let out a cry of pain and broke down with a groan, holding his face and his now bleeding nose. Dastan lost no time, sprinted to the side and plunged the handle of his sword down onto the back of the man's head.

He broke down unconscious immediately. There were now only three left of them but they were all the more furious after wittnessing what had happened to their companion... Keyla - frozen in terror - finally came back to life and grabbed the sword of her father and the small dagger she had been carrying ever since she had left Nasaf, jumping right out onto the street, yelling at the group.

"Traitors!"

All four - the attackers as well as Dastan - looked up in surprise at the sight of a young stranger who had plunged right onto their battle. The three men were grinning with amusement obviously not thinking her much of a rival but Dastan frowned. He only needed seconds to detect who was hidden underneath the clothes that hid her female features and his eyes widdened in surprise and slight horror. Keyla would have wished he had not seen right through her masquerade. It would have been easier if Dastan had just believed her to be some foreign traveler coming to his assitance. Now he would be worried about her... and he would reveal to those men that she was a woman.

"Keyla! What..."

"Not the time, Dastan. Look out!"

Keyla called out to him just in time for Dastan to duck. One of the attackers had tried to use his moment of distraction and had attacked him head on, rising his sword in the air. Wouldn't he have missed, the strike would have been capable of dicapitating the Persian prince, but Dastan reacted in time. Keyla had no chance to help him or even look out for him because the group now split up. Two of the attackers stayed with dastan, attacking him simultaniously, the third one had turned to her with an amused smirk on his face. He sneered at her, a glimmer of lust showing in his eyes that send a shiver down Keyla's spine. She didn't even want to think about what would happen to her if those men won and she would be captured by them... She swallowed hard and glared at her attacker, hissing back at him.

"A woman..."

"I'm more man than you ever will be you worthless bastard!

Her reaction managed to wipe the grin right of the man's face and with a now grim expression he attacked her. The force of his blow almost knocked her father's sowrd out of her hand. The blade was vibrating, causing her hand and wrist to throb in pain but Keyla gritted her teeth and held onto her weapon. It was her only line of defense. She blocked her attacker's blows but was pushed back further and further and closer to the wall of the nearest building. The self satisfied smirk returned to her attackers face as he obviously believed he had cornered her and would easily be able to kill her now but he was wrong about that.

Without a warning Keyla turned away and ran straight on right to the wall. Only half a meter away from it she used the drive she had, jumped up against the wall and ran a couple of steps upwards before pushing herself away from it. She managed a loop and landed right behind her dumbfounded attacker. Without another thought Keyla wrapped both hands around the handle of her father's blade and - with a cry - plunged the sword right through the man's chest. The attacker gave a surprised gasp and a gurgle when she pulled the sword back out, then he broke down without another sound.

"Keyla, behind you!"

She had no time to react when one of the two men that were still attacking Dastan now turned to face her. She jerked around, having her sword up to protect herself just in time, thanks to Dastan's cry. She tried hard to fight of her attacker's blows yet again but this man was even stronger than the last one. She could only hope she would be able to trick him as well. A quick glance to Dastan told her the second attacker still had his attention focused on the Persian prince. He glared at him, pure hatred in his eyes and held on tighter to the two blades he was wielding.

"Persian bastard..."

"Treacherous swine."

The main yelled a cry of war and Dastan stumbled back as the man attacked him with both swords at the same time. His attacker was taller than him and a lot stronger but he was also less agile. Dastan managed to duck and avoide the deathly blows his attacker was dealing him but he had been defending himself for quite a while and even though his concentration was still fully alert, he was losing strength. It wasn't helping that he tried to keep an eye on Keyla at the same time.

When Keyla's attacker suddenly got a hold of her wrist - the arm she was wielding her sword with - Dastan was distracted for just a second. Even though he had learned to never lose focus in battle because that could get him killed, he did it none the less. He could not just let his best friend die. But instead of being able to help Keyla with his desperate cry he just managed to give his own attacker the one chance he had been waiting for The man broke through his defense, his sword barely missing Dastan's sword arm, which the blade would have cut right into but dealing him a deep cut to the side.

"Keyla!"

Dastan gasped, swore under his breath and changed the sword into his other hand while pressing down on the wound to his side. He glared at his attacker and gathered all the strength he still head, lunging forward and completely surprising the man. Dastan managed to strike one of the swords right out of the man's hand but he quickly recovered. As he lunged at Dastan himself now, the Persian prince took a step aside, letting the man run into thin air. He stumbled, fell and turned around with a glare in his eyes, his face contorted in anger. Dastan did the one thing he could to keep his foe from attacking him again He swang his arm back and let go of the sword, letting it fly through the air. Before his attacker could do anything to defend himself, Dastan's sword plunged into his throat. The man's eyes widened in shock, then he broke down - dead. The last man remaining - the one that had managed to throw keyla to the ground immediately refocused his attention from the - as he thought - helpless woman to the injured prince.

"Now you'll die Persian."

"You have to get to me first, traitor."

The man gave a growl that seemed to radiate deep from his throat and was on the attack immediately. Keyla's eyes widened as Dastan hurried to the third fallen attacker but he was able to pull his sword from the fallen body just in time to block the last attacker's blow. He barely managed though. She could see he was losing strength. It was time for her to help him - save his life...

She picked up a rock from the ground where she had fallen down after the last attacker still standing had pushed her off him at the same moment that he lunged forward to attack Dastan one more time. Keyla watched in horror as Dastan - having let is concentration falter for just a second as he was looking at her, making sure she was alright - was unable to keep his defense up. The blade of his rival crushed down on his sword and while Dastan was trying hard to fight off the attack, the men had risen his other arm wielding the knife.

The next few seconds seemed to slow down before her very eyes. Dastan was unable to fend off his attackers blow and being completely unprotected for just a second before he would have been able to rise his sword again, the attacker plunged down the knife that burried itself deep into Dastan's shoulder. The prince gasped, first in surprise, than in pain and stumbled back. She could see the contorted expression on his face as the pain of the injury washed over him and he was unable to keep standing on his feet any fell to his knees right in front of his attacker who rose his sword with a vicious smile on his face.

"Dastan!"

Keyla had no time to think. With a furious roar she picked up the stone and threw it at the attacker with all the force she could come up with. The man - distracted by her angry sound - jerked his head around into her direction. It was the last mistake he made. The stone she had thrown hit him right in the middle of his forehead and he broke down with a groan. Keyla didn't lose any time. She got up from the ground where she had fallen, rushed to the fallen man, wringed the sword from his hand and plunged it deep into his chest. The man gave one last wihtering gasp and then he lay still. She had killed the last of the attackers... But her little victory turned to ashes knowing that she had not succeeded in her quest to protect her friend. Dastan was hurt...

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	22. Chapter 21

**Thanks for your reviews guys! *hug* Once again I didn't check for any spelling mistakes but I still hope you like it. :-) **

Keyla's shaking hands let go of the sword that she had just plunged into the chest of the last traitor still alive. Right behind her she could her Dastan's harsh and heavy breathing as he tried to deal with the pain of his injuries. She didn't dare to turn around for a moment and she was glad that she didn't. She could hear the sickening sound as the blade that had been plunged deep into his shoulder was pulled from his flesh.

She could tell Dastan had put his hand around the handle of the dagger and pulled it out. It fell to the ground with a clatter and she could hear him graon in pain . Keyla bit down hard on her lip. This was not the time to be weak. She had to tunr around, she had to assess his injuries, she had to get him to safety. This was what she had come here for. Keyla took one last deep breath and turned around.

Dastan was still kneeling on the ground, panting heavily. He had pressed one hand against the bleeding wound to his side, the other one securely clapsed the injury to his shoulder. Sweat was running down his face and she could tell from the expression on his face that he was both in pain and completely exhausted from the ongoing fight. For a moment she wondered how long he had been fighting the four men before she had appeared and come for his aid. But it didn't matter. It was over now and he was alive - that was all that counted. She took a step closer, not daring to touch him but trying to get his attention with a soft tone of voice.

"Dastan..."

"You saved my life."

His voice lay somewhere in between surprise and sheer disbelieve lined with the obvious pain he had to be in. Keyla didn't want to hear any of this right now though. Just like back at the time when she had woken up at the palace realizing he had saved her life by taking here there and having the healers of the royal family treat her for the disease she had contracted, he hadn't wanted to hear about it either. Now was not the time for a teary eyed thank you anyway. She needed to get him to a physician to have his wounds treated.

"You have to get up!"

"I'm not sure I can.."

"Damn it, Dastan. You have been hurt before! And worse than this I might add. Now get to your feet!"

She deliberately sounded harsh because she knew it was the only way to get him to listen to her. She had no idea if he ever actually had been hurt worse than this, she had never been wittness to any battle he had fought in. The scars on his body told the story of injuries in battle all too clearly but even to Keyla - who, living in the slums of the royal city all her life, had seen a lot of gruesome things in her days - his injuries looked serious. She needed to get him to a physician as quickly as possible.

She reached out an arm for him to grab as he now tried to rise to his feet and helped him steady himself as he was having a hard time to keep his balance. When he grabbed her arm in an attempt to hold on, she felt a lump form in her throat. He had stopped putting pressure on his shoulder wound un favor for grabbin her arm and the warm, sticky feeling of his blood on her skin made her feel as if she was about to get sick. She had never seen him hurt before and she wasn't even the least bit sure she was able to deal with this.

They made their way down the alley but they were slow and she could hear the heavy panting right beside her. This was exhausting for Dastan and going on this way it would take a while before they would even run into anyone who could be of help to them, let alone make their way back to the palace. When they reached the entryway to an abandoned house, Dastan breathlessly asked her to stop and she carefully lowered him to the staircase that lead to the wooden door. He looked up at her, a pleadign expression on his face and his voice still breathless.

"You have to leave me behind, Keyla. You need to get to the palace. Get back to Tamina and protect her. You have to hurry."

"Don't worry about her, Dastan. She knows and she's fine. This attack was never about her it was only about you. A group of Alamutian merchants wanted to stop Alamut from falling under Persian reign. That's why they plotted to kill you."

"Those men said otherwise. They said there was one of their own at the palace right now, setting out to kill the princess for her treachery, for forming an alliance with Persia. You have to go to the palace and make sure she's okay."

Keyla stared at him in horror and shook her head. This was not what the merchants had said, it was not what both she and Tamina had come to believe when she had told her what the merchants words had been. There hadn't been any danger to her... Maybe those men had just tried to distract Dastan, had tried to play tricks with him and play a mindgame to get him to let down his guard. But she couldn't be sure and she couldn't let any harm come to princess Tamina either. Keyla bit down hard on her lip but finally decided against listening to him. He was just overly worried about the woman he loved.

"I can't just leave you here! You're hurt!"

"I've had worse before, you yourself said that. Just go, Keyla. I will be fine. Send a physician if you like but - please - check on Tamina first. I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to her but I can't do this myself. You have to help me..."

Keyla nodded her head slowly. The urgency in his voice and the sheer desperation in it, told her that she had no choice but to obey his wishes. He would not stop worrying, would not stop demanding that she checked on Tamina instead of staying with him and if anything actually had happened to her he would be blaming himself for the rest of his life. She couldn't let it happen. Even if Tamina was fine, she needed to make sure - for his sake.

Maybe it was best this way. She would be faster going on her own and as soon as she had made sure Tamina was indeed fine, she could take a physician back to Dastan. It certainly would work faster than dragging him halfway across the city in his weakened state... She nodded her head at him, agreeing.

"Alright I will."

He relaxed instantly and let his head rest against the wood of the door behind him. Even his breathing seemd to even out a little now. Keyla hated to leave him here like this - weak and injured and bleeding but there was no immediate danger to Dastan's life anymore. His attackers were dead, the treacherous merchants had probably been arrested by now and there was nobody else near by who could have meant any harm to Dastan. With a heavy heart, Keyla turned her back on him and hurried to leave for the palace.

She didn't get very far. When she left the small, abandoned alley where she had left Dastan behind and returned back to the main street that lead from the palace to the gate, she ran right into someone. She was about to curse and yell at the person to watch where he was going when she looked at him, detecting the familiar features and seeing the surprised expression on his face. Keyla had never been more happy to see him than in this very moment.

"Bis!"

"Keyla?"

"Thank the gods you're here! I need your help. Come with me!"...

Without another word of explanation she grabbed Bis by the arm and yanked him back into the alley where she had just come from, forcing him to follow her. She could tell he wanted to protest but they were walking too fast and she had taken him by surprise so that he was speechless for the time being. That however rapidly changed when they returned to Dastan who was still sitting at the same spot Keyla had left him at, clutching his wounds, eyes closed and breathing heavy. Maybe she was just imagining things but his face looked more ashen to her than it had when she had left just a minute ago. She could hear Bis swear under his breath as he hurried to kneel down next to his injured friend. The sudden activity around him made Dastan open his eyes and he stared at Keyla half angry, half scared.

"Dastan! By the gods! What happened to him?"

"Keyla, the palace! You have to..."

"I know! I'm already on my way."

Keyla focused her attention on Bis explaining the situation to him. She had no time to lose here but she at least needed to let him on on what had transpired here. She spoke quickly, ready to break into a run the second she was done.

"He was attacked and hurt in battle. Take care of him. I have to go back to the palace. I will send a physician to take care of him. Just keep an eye on him until then."

"But..."

He tried to stop her, tried to get her to tell him more but all Keyla could do now was cut his questions short. She shooke her head quickly and - seeing the pleading look in Dastan's eyes - didn't even take another second for explanations or any kind of goodbye when she just turned and broke into a run. She had promised something to Dastan and she would make good on that promise. She had to check on the princess of Alamut...

"Not now, Bis! I have no time!"

**You know the drill (:-D) : The one thing that truly fuels my inspiration are reviews. I'm glad for the alerts but if you want the chapters to keep coming regularly you guys need to help me out a little and review. **

**No reviews mean no updates. Decided I will continue at an average of about 5 reviews per chapter. **

**So help me keep the story going and please press the little button and leave some feedback. :-) **

**Thanks.**


	23. Chapter 22

**Thanks for your reviews guys! *hug* Once again I didn't check for any spelling mistakes but I still hope you like it. :-) **

Keyla had stopped running halfway on the way to the palace, running out of breath. She had still done as Dastan had told her and had walked up to the palace in a quick walk. She was sure the princess was alright but she knew how important it was to Dastan that she made sure and if there was anything actually endangering the princess's life, she was sure he would never even look at her again. She would lose him as a friend if she didn't make sure the woman he had fallen in love with was fine.

When she reached the palace gates this time, the guards let her through without any questions. She reached the square where she had met Tamina just a little while ago and had told her about the treachery unfolding right under her nose. But she was nowhere to be seen right now. Keyla couldn't believe the princess had just retired inside, not awaiting her return as if she didn't care. Keyla had almost run into the servant who appeared right in front of her all of a sudden.

"Are you Keyla? The princess asked me to wait for you and take you to her when you return."

"Yes I am. Take me to her."

The servant nodded and Keyla followed him. The fact that the servant didn't hurry to take her to the princess, helped to calm Keyla down. The princess couldn't be in danger if the servant AND the guards reacted so casually. She followed the servant through one of the smaller gates into a garden that was build around a beautiful fountain right in the middle of it. The princess was sitting on the edge of the fountain, looking at the water. She seemed deeply lost in thought. Keyla didn't give the servant a chance to introduce her but stormed past him, addressing the princess.

"Princess Tamina!"

"Keyla. What happened? Did you find Dastan? Is he alright?"

"I found him. He was engulfed in battle but we managed to fend of and kill the attackers. He was hurt by one of the traitors but he will be fine."

Tamina looked up and had gotten up as soon as she had realized that Keyla had returned. Maybe she was imagining things but the princess looked pale to Keyla. Worry was lining her face and it was also clearly detectable in her voice. It seemed she had tried to calm herself down sitting at this fountain but she had failed. She took a couple of steps closer to Keyla and her eyes widened with worry and shock when Keyla told her about Dastan's injury. Her voice was wavering slightly when she reacted and Keyla found herself frowning. She was somehow... surprised by the emotional reaction the princess displayed.

"He's hurt?"

"He will be fine. Don't worry."

The princess nodded but she seemed anything but convinced. Keyla could tell she wasn't. She was very emotional about the news that Dastan had been hurt and she hurried to the physician. Keyla watched the scene as she ordered the servant who had taken Keyla here to get on of the healers of the palace to get to the gate and help Dastan. Her voice was wavering as she did so and Keyla almost believed there was still fear in her voice.

"Send a physician to the main gate. Right now!"

"Yes, princess."

The princess turned back to her, looking at her with something shining in her eyes that very much looked like gratefulness to Keyla. She just didn't understand. This woman barely knew Dastan and yet she was grateful Keyla had saved his life. She hid back a grin realizing she had only paid attention to the way Dastan looked at the princess when she had seen them at the market. Had she bothered to pay attention to her, maybe she would have seen the same look in her eyes... Judging from her reaction right now it seemed a very good possibility. She at least acted a lot like she was actually in love...

"Walk with me."

Keyla nodded and followed the princess's order without a word. She had no right to ask the other woman about her feelings. It wouldn't have been prudent. She was a princess after all and Keyla was... It was safe to say she was beneath her, as much as she hated that word. She walked next to the princess as they walked past another gate that lead into the palace. The princess strolled along quickly and Keyla could tell she was still nervous. She gave her a nervous side glance from time to time before she finally voiced her question.

"You are sure he will be alright, agent you? You're not trying to..."

"I'm not trying to calm you down or anything. I admit the injuries looked serious but he had worse and he will be fine."

The princess - Tamina Keyla reminds herself - nodded and looked a little more relieved now like she was actually believing her. Keyla couldn't keep the frown from appearing on her face as she walked next to the princess, casting a side-glance at her from time to time while they walked down the palace's hallways in silence. When they reached her chamber - the very same place Keyla had met Tamina for the first time just a night ago - she was no longer able to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Forgive me, princess but... I am surprised by your level of concern. I mean I've seen the way he looks at you and it's obvious he has fallen for you. But you..."

"You didn't think I agreed to this union for any other but political reasons, did you?"

"To be honest. Yes."

There hadn't been any anger in the princess's voice which was the only reason why Keyla dared to voice her opinion so openly. She hadn't been surprised by Dastan's obvious awe for this beautiful woman - after all he was a man and when it came down to beauty they were all the same. Tamina however had managed to surprise her. Keyla watched a small smile appear on the princess's face. She seemed just as astounded as Keyla herself, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"I did agree to this because of political reasons. But it wasn't the only reason... I can't explain it. When I first met him... There was something about him, something that told me it was right... Something..."

"Special?"

"Yes, that was the word I was looking for."

They were both smiling now, each of them thinking about what qualities in Dastan it was that made him so special. Keyla had always known he was, Tamina however had just recently discovered that fact. But yet it felt like they were sharing a secret together - just like old friends did... Keyla had to remind herself of the fact that she was talking to a princess and a woman she had never met before until a day ago. But still she couldn't get herself to be cautious and the question that had been playing on her mind for quite a while now just came out.

"Do you love him?"

Keyla had no idea where she took her boldness from but something told her that this princess was not like any other - or at least she wasn't like Keyla would have expected a princess to be. She felt she could talk to Tamina in a way she could with no other member of royalty - except Dastan of course. She was certain the princess would not be angry or insulted about the rather indecent question. After all they didn't know each other very well. But they had one thing - or rather someone - in common and it seemed that was enough to connect them on a level deeper than Keyla had ever imagined was possible.

The princess gave her a sidelong glance and walked up to the balcony that lead outside, giving a beautiful overview of the sacred city. A thin, white curtain, heavy with embroidery was drawn to shield curious eyes from the outside to peer in and Keyla could see the thoughtful expression on the princess's face as she looked out onto her city for a long moment before turning back and facing Keyla. Her voice was grave now - fit for the seriousness of the question.

"I'm not sure about this myself. I enjoy spending my time with him and I do trust him even though I don't exactly know how it happened. I don't think it is love what we share... not yet. But it will be."

"How can you be so certain?"

"I just know."

Keyla nodded her head. She had never truly been in love before, therefor she had no idea how that felt. Of course there had been... advances being thrown her way. Dastan's stupid older brother - Garsiv - had made a very, very rude pass at her once - and her resulting reaction was the reason he despised her so much nowadays - and she knew that Bis certainly felt a little more for her than just friendship... But Keyla had never actually felt mutual about these kinds of things.

It seemed princess Tamina did when it came to Dastan and Keyla was at a loss wether she should be feeling happy or jealous. Of course she was happy Dastan had found a woman that seemed to have fallen in love with him even though they only had known each other for a few days but she also felt like she was... missing something. She had no idea where the thought came from all of a sudden because Keyla had always been content with the life she had chosen. It was probably the fact that she now witnessed something she had never had... and one always longed for things others had but oneself didn't. She smiled at the princess not wanting her to realize a few ill thoughts had managed to find their way to the surface. "Well you're one lucky woman, princess. Dastan is a fine man."

Tamina smiled at Keyla and it seemed almost mischievous to her. The princess seemed very much aware of the fact that she could consider herself lucky. Keyla returned her smile and settled down on a nearby bench covered with soft pillows. A servant entered the room with a tray, holding to silver cups. Keyla had never heard the princess order anything and Tamina seemed just as surprised about the presence of the servant. Hadn't it been for the warning Dastan had given her before sending her here, telling her that the traitors planned to harm the princess as well,, she wouldn't have thought anything of it. But now she was alarmed and she reacted out of instinct. Therefor she was prepared when the young man suddenly let the tray go that fell to the floor with a clatter. She barely even saw the blade but she was there in time to pull the princess back and behind her - out of harms way. The man had used a throwing knife, clearly aimed for the princess throat that would have killed her instantly, hadn't Keyla reacted in time. While she was yanking Tamina out of the way, she yelled a warning at her.

"Look out!"

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	24. Chapter 23

**Here's a new chapter ready for you guys. Thanks to those who left (a qualified) feedback :-). Sorry – it took a while. Will try to update sooner the next time. Hope you like it :-) **

Keyla had done the one thing she could to protect the princess from the servant that had so suddenly turned out to be a traitor and an attacker and had placed herself right in front of her, holding out a shielding arm. She could feel that the princess wanted to do something to protect herself but she was unarmed and at that completely helpless. Keyla drew the sword she had already used once today to fend of the attackers that had tried to kill Dastan and glared at the servant. She hoped there was a chance to just reason with the young man and make him see that there was no need for any of this. Their little rebellion was over.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You heard us talk I'm sure. Prince Dastan is fine, your masters will be arrested. This rebellion is over. Put down your weapon."

She had tried to use a combination of softness and authority in her voice but it didn't work. Instead of doing what she said and having at least a little chance to still save his life that was otherwise forgone because of his treachery, the servant grabbed the sword he held even tighter. Determination shown in his eyes. He would not give up and judging from the look on his face he would not stop until his task was completed or Keyla would have managed to either knock him out or kill him. Just as Dastan had predicted, the princess's life was in danger and it was up to her to save her.

Keyla had a good look at the servant and forced herself not to show any kind of emotion. He was about her age, but taller than her and obviously stronger. She had fought against stronger opponents before, had actually done that already twice today but that was exactly where the problem was. After running back and forth between the palace and the main gate and helping Dastan defend himself against the four men attacking him, she felt exhausted and she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to win yet another fight. But she knew she had to - the princess's life depended on it and she had to protect her. She had promised Dastan she would...

She knew that if anything happened to the princess, Dastan would forfeit himself all right for happiness. He would forgive her, being sure she had done all in her power to save the woman he loved, but Keyla was certain he would never forgive himself. There was no other way for her but to win this fight - for her own, for Tamina's and for Dastan's sake. Just as her opponent had done, Keyla grabbed her sword tighter. She could only hope the princess would not be stupid enough and try to help her in any way even though she was unarmed. Keyla never let her eyes off her opponent but tried to get Tamina to listen to her.

"Please, princess, stay back. Don't interfer. And if he hurts me... or kills me - run."

Keyla didn't need to turn to feel the tension radiating off the princess and she was sure she would have protested if she had a chance. But Keyla didn't give her one. Without any warning she lunged forward, attacking the servant with all her force. The man was taken by surprise for a moment and Keyla already had her hopes up that she would be able to use the advantage and break through his defenses. But when she attacked him again he was easily able to fend her off, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face.

Keyla realized with a sudden horrifying clarity that she would not be able to win. She would only be able to hold up the inevitable for so long. Running through the sun through half the city of Alamut, helping Dastan in his fight against the traitors that had attacked him and getting him help had taken a toll on her and her strength had solwly been fading. This man was strong, quite a bit taler than her and - unlike her - very well rested. He was not as skilled as the men that had attacked Dastan but what he lacked in skill he compensated through brute force.

Keyla had to hold on to her father's blade with both hands when the servant - the traitor - lunged at her a battle cry escaping from his lips. Hadn't she done it she was sure he would have been able to smack the blade right out of her hand. Her fingers tingled painfully as she felt the vibration of the blade she held because of the force her attacker had used on his blow. Keyla tried to fight back the panic that threatened to settle in and concentrated. There had to be a weak spot on her attacker - there always was one. She just had to find it. Until then she needed to hold on. She could not let this man get passed her for if he did it meant the princess would die... She had promised Dastan that this wouldn't happen and Keyla intended to keep her promise.

She could only hope for Tamina to do as she had told her, keep back, not interfer and run if need be. She could not look out for her as well, she had to fully concentrate on the battle raging on, a battle Keyla was very well bound to lose. She gritted her teeth, glaring at her opponent and grabbed her sword tighter with both hands, mustering up what little strength she still had and attacked again. If she had to go out, she would go out fighting. Defense was no longer an option.

To her own surprise - but never questioning what happened at that very moment - Keyla was able to fight the servant back. With every attack on her end he took a step backwards, slowly closing in on the wall at the far end of the princess's chamber. Keyla allowed herself a tiny second of triumph. All she needed now was just one little flaw in the attacker's defense and then it would all be over.

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, not letting her realize how exhausted she truly was. Her arms burned with the strain of fighting but Keyla willed herself to go on, keep on fighting. She could not fail, she could not falter - if she did the princess would be unprotected. Keyla glared at the attacker, gritting her teeth and attacked again. This time however he was easily able to block her move as if he had been able to foresee.

With sudden clarity Keyla realized what the man had been doing. He had given her a chance to attack in order to study her every move and find a weakness in her attack and defense while all the while she had believed she had the upper hand on him. Panic settled in as she was pushed further and further back without any chance to get in a blow of her own. He was pushing her back and he would triumph over her. It was only a matter of time...

A vicious blow broke through her defense almost knocking the blade out of her hand and hadn't she moved backwards quickly, the attacker's blade would have sliced right into her chest. She could hear the princess gasp from somewhere behind her but did not let it get to her. She concentrated on her attacker and horror shook her as she realized he had produced a second weapon, a dagger, from somewhere inside his robes. She never had a chance to do anything against his attack and the very next second a red hot pain shot through her leg taking all reason away and leaving her unable to even scream.

Keyla stumbled backwards staring in disbelieve at the daggers hilt that stuck out of her left thigh. The blade had been plunged deep into her flesh and every move hurt like her whole leg was on fire. She swore under her breath and winced when a blow with his sword finally send her own weapon flying across the room, scattering to the ground out of her reach. She took another step backwards, her injured leg giving way underneath her and fell to the floor now looking up at her opponent who had risen his sword and was smiling in satisfaction. Keyla did the one thing she still could for the princess now.

"Run princess!" 

"No!" 

Neither Keyla nor the servant who had turned out to be a traitor, expected the next move the princess made. Instead of doing as she was told and saving her life by running away, she ran over to where Keyla's sword had fallen to the ground. Seeing her pick it up Keyla felt horrified and her attacker let out a chuckle, obviously amused by the princess reaction. He turned to face her, momentarily distracted from Keyla and not yet delivering the killing blow. Keyla squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't bear to watch...

She abruptly opened her eyes again when the next things she heard was how the servant stopped chuckling than a thud, a gasp and a louder thud as something fell to the floor. When she opened her eyes again, the attacker lay on the floor right at her feet, eyes wide and unseeing, the blade of her father that the princess had picked up sticking out from his chest. Keyla couldn't believe what she was seeing. Instead of attacking the man, the princess had thrown the blade at him with all her force and the traitor - unprepared for the attack - had not been able to defend himself and had died...

"Guards!" 

Keyla could hear the princess scream for help. For a quick moment she wondered why the princess hadn't thought of this earlier but her thoughts were quickly consumed by the pain she felt in her leg. Blindly she reached for the blade still stuck in her leg and without thinking she pulled it free. She moaned in pain when the medal left her flesh. It hurt even worse than it had when the blade had still been stuck in there. She stared at her leg and swallowed hard when she saw the blood flowing freely from it, staining the pants she was wearing. Maybe pulling the blade free hadn't been such a good idea...

She registered the arrival of two guards, running into the room breathlessly only at the back of her mind. She was far too occupied with the pain radiating from her leg and rendering her breathless She could feel a soft hand on her upper arm and when she looke dto the side she found herself looking right into princess Tamina's worried face.

"Keyla?" 

"Didn't I say not to intefer... You're just as stubborn as your husband to be..."

She tried tosound angry with the princess - ash she was - but her voice was to weak to carry her anger. When she tried to getback up on her feet now, Kelya failed, the edges of her vision slowly turning grey and blury. She swallowed hard. Maybe the injury hadn't been as minor as she had first believed. When she looked down to her throbbing leg, she could see blood staining her pants... a lot of blood. She hissed when she felt pressure being put on her thigh. It hurt. She realized it were the princess's soft hand pressing down hard on the bleeding wound. Keyla closed her eyes for just a moment. She felt so exhausted, so unbelievably tired.  
Tamina watched in horror as the young woman she barely knew and who had vowed to protect her life because Dastan had asked her to do so, closed her eyes. She knew she could not let her fall unconscious. She was in bad shape, the pool of blood forming underneath her injured leg a clear indication for that. Tamina pressed down harder on the bleeding wound. She could not let Keyla die. Dastan would never forgive her if she did...

"Hold on! Stay with me..."

"I'm fine..." 

"Keyla!"

The princess's voice sounded muffled and Keyla wanted to tell her to speak up so that she could hear her better but her tongue felt like it had been glued down in her mouth. She couldn't form the words. She couldn't open her eyes, she couldn't rise a hand to let the other woman know she had heard her. She just felt so tired... Vaguely she realized that something or somebody was tugging on her shoulder but she didn't care. She allowed herself to fall into the blissful abyss and then she heard and saw nothing anymore. There was just darkness... and silence. 


	25. Chapter 24

**Here's the next chapter for you guys. Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for any mistakes – this one's not spell checked :-? Hope you like it :-) **

Dastan had put up quite a fight when the physician that had been sent from the palace to tend to his wounds had told him it was best f he stayed where he was for the moment and did not move around too much. He had already been annoyed by the fact that they had send someone to take care of wounds that felt fairly superficial to him but for that same healer to tell him that he was not supposed to leave without his permission even though he had to check on both Keyla and Tamina had been too much. He needed to get back to the palace.

"I cannot stay here, lying around idly while the woman I love and one of my very best friends are in danger. I have to go!"

"You should not! The wound to your shoulder is deep and you lost a fair amount of blood. I'm telling you you will not get back to the palace after all. You will fall unconscious from the blood loss, the pain and sheer exhaustion long before that!"

"I'll ride."

"It'll be just as bad for the health process of those wounds..."

"I do NOT care. I HAVE to go back."

"Fine. But you're doing so against doctor's orders prince Dastan. I cannot allow it in good conscience..."

"Than so be it."

Still Dastan had been reasonable enough to take Bis with him on his way back to the palace. It had been a good decision as Dastan found out halfway there, He felt find and sort of queazy and hadn't it been for his friend's steadying grasp, Dastan was sure he would have falle off the back of his horse. Bis had been a great help on his way back to the palace but as soon as he had seen the frantic behavior of the palace guard at the main gate, coming running to him before he was even at the gate, Dastan had felt a cold, hard knot form in the pit of his stomach and it had caused enough Adrenaline to course through his veins to keep him up and running for at least another couple of hours, no matter how grave or painful his injuries were.

"Prince Dastan! A traitor! A traitor invaded the palace, trying to kill princess Tamina!"

"Where IS the princess?"

"She's in her chambers..."

Dastan didn't waste any time to liste to any more of the useless chatter that left the guard's mouth. The man had already opened his mouth to add something more to his explanations but Dastan - quickly followed by Bis - had already ridden past him and was about to dismount in the yard in front of the palace. He felt dizzy halfway through the motion and once again it needed his friend's steadying grip for him not to fall. Maybe the physician hadn't been that wrong after all... Maybe moving around this much hadn't been such a good idea... But dastan didn't care. He needed to get to Tamina right now and make sure she was fine.

He would have liked to run up the stairs, to hurry to get to Tamina but the injuries he had sustained in battle did not allow such actions. They had started throbbing quite a while ago yet agian as he and Bis still had been on their way up to the palace and the soft stickiness to his side told him that at least one of his two wounds had started bleeding again. He swore under his breath. The physician had been right after all. It would have been better to take this easy. But for Dastan that had not been an option. He strode to the corridors as fast as he could, holding on to his injured side and it only took a couple of minutes before he came to a halt in front of the doorway to Tamina's chamber. Bis was still right behind him and Dastan could tell his friend was about to ask him if he was okay. Dastan however did not want a renewed discussion about his state of health and therefor he took any chance for further discussion away from Bis, ordering him to wait outside.

"Stay here, will you?"

"Of course."

Dastan entered the princess's chamber alone and found Tamina kneeling on the floor, hands in her lap and staring blankly at a spot on the marble floor. Dastan swallowed hard when he saw a small pool of blood on the ground. Panikc rose in him. Was it her blood? Was it the attackers? And where in the world was Keyla? Dastan quickly walked to Tamina, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, obviously detecting his presence only now. There was no fear or pain in her eyes, just a mild surprise and a smile spread on her face when she realized it was him. Releif flodded through him. At a first look it seemed Tamina was fine... And she quickly confirmed it to him as well.

"Tamina..."

"I'm fine..."

"But there's blood on your hands... and your dress..."

"I know. It's not mine..."

Taking in a closer look Dastan had seen the blood on her hands and clothes and the panic had been back with brute force. Tamina's defeated explanation made no sense to him... at least not for a long moment. His eyes widened in shock though as he realized what the Alamutian princess was trying to tell him. Fear and guilt mixed with his panick as he realized why it was that Keyla wasn't here. It was her blood - her blood on Tamina's clothes and hands, her blood on the floor... She had been hurt... and it was his fault for he had sent her here to protect the woman he loved...

"Keyla..."

"She came to tell me about you. We were attacked and she protected me but she couldn't fight him off and she was injured..."

"Is she..." 

Dastan barely even dared to ask the question but as painful as it could be, he needed to know. He needed to have certainty, even if it meant hearing that Keyla had died trying to do what he had asked of her. He watched Tamina's every move, every last move of her facial muscles, hoping to be able to tell what she was about to say to him before she did it. He wanted to be prepared... When a small smile appeared on Tamina's face, the relief he felt almost brought him to his knees.

"She's alive, that is all I know right now. She's with one of our finest physicians. They will take good care of her."

"I need to see her!" 

He was about ready to just bolt out of the room in search for his injured friend but the Alamutian princess reacted with a grace and quickness Dastan had not expected. She was up on her feet within seconds and held him by his wrist, giving him a half concerned, half frustrated look.

"You need to rest! You're injured yourself and you look like your about to keel over. You can't do anything for her right now anyway. Please, Dastan. Lie down for a little while, try to rest. I will have them tell you as soon as there are any news on Keyla." 

Dastan watched Tamina - the determined expression on her face, the display of her will in the soft sparkling of her eyes and he sighed. She was right - he did feel like he was about to just fall down to the ground from sheer exhaustion... He hadn't allowed himself to feel any of it until now but there was barely a spot on his body that did not ache, hurt or throb. And the surprisingly hard grip Tamina had on his wrist told him he had no choice anyway. A small grin appeared on his face.

"You won't let me out of here anyway, will you?"

"No. Now rest." 

She pulled on his wrist again and he followed her not even thinking about it. When she led him to bed - her bed - Dastan's eyes widened in surprise. Under any other circumstances it would have been outrageous and completely inappropriate to offer him to stay in her chamber and in her bed on top of that. Even with worry nagging at his very heart, Dastan couldn't help but grin when he sat down on the princess's bed, slipped out of his shoes and carefully lowered himself down.

"Your wish shall be my command, my princess."

"Don't mock!"

"I'm not! I'm sorry... I'm worried..."

"I know you are. But she will be alright. She's strong... and too stubborn to just die."

Dastan smiled as Tamina sat down next to him now. HE had not expected her to stay but it seemed she did not want to leave before she had been able to reassure him that Keyla would be fine and that he would rest with his mind at ease. He felt her eyes on him as she was scanning his body, takin in the injuries he had sustained in battle earlier today. His smile widened at Tamina's words. "I told her that once..." 

He settled down into a more comfortable position, shifting on the bed, hissing as the movement put a strain on his injured shoulder and caused it to hurt. He could see Tamina wince. She was truly worried about him and it was a strangely satisfying thing to see. It left him with a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. But he had to do what was right even if it meant sending Tamina away which caused his heart to ache just as the thought of it. But still he had to.

"Could you do me a favor? Let Bis know. He's waiting outside and I know for a fact that he is just as worried about Keyla. He needs to know. And maybe you will let him stay with her."

"Of course I will."

Tamina got up from the bed again. The grace and sheer beauty with which she did such simple things still amazed Dastan everytime he was lucky enough to see it. He watched the princess as she was walking over to the door and he knew he just couldn't let her leave like this, not knowing if she would come back to him or not... He called out to her - a slight tone of desparation actually audible in his voice - causing her to turn to him once more.

"Tamina? Would you... like to stay?" 

"I will come back as soon as I talked to your friend."

"Thank you."

He watched her leave the room and now - reassured she would return - Dastan allowed himself to close his eyes. As soon as he did he realized how truly exhausted he was. He had fought for his life just about an hour ago, he had been injured, bleeding, had needed the assitance of his friends to even get back to the palace... Tamina was right. HE needed to rest... But as tired as he was he still felt uncomfortable and restless.

He couldn't stop thinking about Keyla - Kelya who had risked her life first for him and then for a woman she barely even know because he had told her so and she had realized how much it meant to him. She had fought to protect Tamina and had been injured in the process... He could just hope he would get a chance to make it up to her in some way... She had to be alright... He knew he wouldn't forgive himself if she wasn't... He needed Keyla in his life just as he needed Tamina. With Keyla it was for different reasons but still he needed her - it was as simple as that...

He didn't even hear Tamina return from outside the chamber, he was lost that deeply in his thoughts. Had he looked up at her he would have seen how the princess carefully tried to hide back the turmoil of emotion raging inside of her. Telling Dastan's closest friend and second in command about Keyla had been a... daunting experience. He had paled instantly upon hearing about their injured friend and had not even giving her a chance to finish her explanations, hurrying off to see her and stay with her. But Tamina had seen the unspoken reproach in his eyes and he was right. Hadn't it been for Dastan's command and simply for her existence... Keyla never would have been hurt...

But it was useless to think about it that way. It had happened and nothing would change it any more. All they could do right now was worry about the situation at hand and for Tamina her first worry right now was the man she had agreed to marry... She entered her chamber again quietly and went back to the bed. Dastan had his eyes closed but from his still slightly irregular breathing she could tell he was still awake. She sat down next to him again, watching him for a moment.

"Dastan..."

"Mmhhh?"

"I am... glad you are alright. When I heard what those traitors planned, when I realized you were in danger, I..." 

Dastan opened his eyes actually surprised at the honesty and open heartedness with which Tamina treated him. She had still been suspicious and very guarded with her reactions just a couple of days ago but after everything that had happened today it seemed she was willing to fully trust him now... He had heard that tone in her voice before and just like then he could not help but tease her just a little bit. Unfortunatelly she reacted anything but positive to it and Dastan regretted his words instantly. He had not meant to make her angry - not this time - and he hurried to calm her, a soft, caring tone in his voice then.

"Is that concern I hear in your voice, princess?"

"As a matter of fact I WAS worried about you!" 

"So was I. It's why I asked Keyla to return, why she risked her life for you... Because I demanded she'd go back and make sure you weren't in any danger. I couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to you. I wouldn't know how to live with myself had any harm come to you..."

"Now that does sound a lot more like concern, prince."

"It is." 

They looked at each other in silence for a long moment and Tamina was the first to chuckle. A warm smile spread on her face, a smile that made her look even more beautiful than she already was. Dastan could have looked at that expression on her face forever but it was quickly replaced with concern once more when her eyes fell onto him again. He could understand though. If he looked only half as bad as he felt, concern was the right thing for Tamina to feel. She rested a gentle hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"Rest now. I will stay with you and I will wake you when there are news on Keyla."


	26. Chapter 25

**Aaawwww – don't worry guys – I would never kill off my beloved OC :-P.- Here's the next chapter for you guys. Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for any spellingor grammar mistakes. Hope you like it :-) **

Keyla felt like she was swimming through a pool full of thick mud. It was a strange feeling especially because she had no idea how to swim. Growing up in a city in the middle of the desert, Keyla had never learned how to do it. But still it felt a lot like she imagined swimming to feel like - swimming through a sticky, thick mud in complete darkness. It was exhausting and frustrating and she had no idea how she had ended up like that...

Muffled sounds were audible around her but they made no sense to her. Why would there be sounds in the darkness at a pool full of mud? She tried hard to remember what had happened before she had ended up here but her memory was just as dark as her surroundings... She tried to concentrate on the sounds instead and they became a little clearer. It wasn't just muffled noise any more. Keyla believed she could make out voices now - at least two and they were close... She tried to listen closer. There definitely were two voices, both male. She couldn't understand what they were saying but their voices sounded familiar to her... very, very familiar.

"I think she's waking up..."

Recognition hit her with sudden clarity. It was Bis talking, Bis who had helped her get Dastan back to the main gate to wait for a physician to treat his wounds... Dastan... Dastan! Tamina! Dastan had been hurt! Tamina had been in danger from that traitor she had been fighting. Her eyes flew open and she tried to sit up from wherever it was she was lying but firm hands on her shoulders held her down.

"Easy there. You've been out of it for quite a while and you lost a lot of blood, you shouldn't be moving around right now."

It was still Bis talking and that made her feel nervous and anxious. She was sure she had heard two voices before she had woken up but now it was only him speaking to her, holding her down, trying to soothe her. She looked around frantically and calmed almost immediately when she found Dastan sitting next to her on her bed, a relieved and happy smile on his face. When he finally spoke to her, the last of Keyla's anxiousness left her body and she settled back down as Bis had asked her to.

"It's good to see you awake. We were worried about you."

"What happened? What happened to the princess? To the traitor? To you?"

"Keyla calm down."

"I need to know!"

She was still frantic and it was hard to do as her two friends told her and calm down. So much had happened before she had fallen unconscious because of her injury and she had no idea what had transpired since then. Obviously Dastan was fine - he was here with her - but she had no idea how the whole scene in the princess's chamber had played out. She knew she had been hurt and she had been saved but her memory was very fuzzy on any details. She had to know! Once again she felt Bis hands on her shoulders, his reassuring smile enough to finally make her listen.

"We will tell you. But please calm down first."

"Okay! Okay I will..."

She relaxed her muscles, leaning back down onto the pillows that were supporting her neck and let her breathing even out again. She was sure the two men would not start talking before they weren't sure she was actually calm and wouldn't freak out once again. Keyla took the chance to have a closer look at her friends. Dastan had his injured arm in a sling but other than that there was no sign of his injuries showing. Both men looked pale and had dark circles under their eyes. Keyla sighed softly.

"You two look exhausted..."

"We have been here almost the entire time to watch over you."

"Entire time?"

Keyla frowned hearing the choice of words. It sounded like it had been a while since she had last been awake. It made no sense to her but it seemed that was what had happened... She had been injured, her two friends had told her she had lost a lot of blood and with a wound such as hers it could very well have happened... She watched Bis and looked over to dastan, seeing the look the two men shared before Dastan answered her question in a slightly reluctant tone of voice.

"You were unconscious for two days, Keyla..."

"But... I just... I just fell..."

"Unconscious from the loss of blood two days ago. The palace's physicians treated your wound and you have not woken ever since... until this morning. You're still weak but you will be fine in a week or two..."

Kela nodded very slowly. A week or two... That was a lot of time for recovery. It seemed her injury had been more sever than she had first believed. But the important thing was that she would be fine eventually... and that Dastan was fine and Tamina as well. At least that was what she thought... She wasn't sure though. She had been unconscious for two days after all but luckily there were two people right with her who could tell her.

"Wow... Well... What happened?"

"You saved her. You saved Tamina. When the traitor attacked you managed to fend him off... at least for a while. But he was stronger and managed to disarm you. Distracted with you and trying to... kill you, Tamina managed to get to your sword and killed him. She called the physicians for you as well. I returned from the main gate to check on both of you and we have been with you ever since."

"Are you alright?"

"It'll take a while to heal but I'll live."

The smile on Dastan's face seemed a little forced and Keyla was sure there was something he wasn't telling her in an attempt to try to not make her worry. She had seen his injuries, she had been there when he sustained them and she was sure it would have been better for him if he had shared the room with her, lying down himself instead of watching over her. But she didn't press the issue. She knew it was of no use anyway. When it came to those kinds of things he was even more stubborn than she was... Therefor she just swallowed the comment she had on her lips and moved on.

"Good... And the princess?"

"Other than the grief she feels about the treason she is fine."

"I'm glad..."

She actually was. Even though she barely knew princess Tamina, she was glad she was fine. It was mostly for Dastan's sake that she was glad though. She knew for a fact he would have been heartbroken had anything happened to the woman he had fallen in love with. Keyla shifted on her bed, trying to find a more comfortable position and closed her eyes for just a moment. She felt tired... she had never felt this tired from doing something as simple as talking and listening ever before. Would she have looked up right then she would have seen Bis and Dastan share a meaningful look. She felt the weight on her bed shift and opened her eyes again as she knew it was because Dastan had gotten up. He looked down at her with a smile.

"I think it is time for us to leave you alone."

"No..."

"You need to rest, Keyla. You're still very weak."

"But..."

"I will stay with her."

Bis offered quickly and Keyla had to smile. He sounded eager to stay with her and even though he looked tired she couldn't bring herself to send both her friends away so that they could have the rest they deserved. She didn't want to be alone in this strange place. Knowing her friends were close made her feel more at ease. She watched Dastan as he nodded his aproval, gently squeezed her shoulder and then smiled.

"And I will let Tamina know. She wanted to be informed when you woke up."

"That's nice of her..."

Keyla closed her eyes again while she was forming the words. All of a sudden she felt too exhausted to even keep them open for another minute. Maybe her friends were right. Maybe she really needed to rest... She wanted to open her eyes, look at them again but she didn't manage. Her two friends seemed oddly quiet all of a sudden but her thoughts didn't linger on that fact... Bis and Dastan watched in silence as Keyla's breathing quickly evened out and then she fell asleep. Trying not to wake her again, Bis was whispering, keeping his eyes firmly trained on Keyla's peaceful features.

"We have her back..."

"And it'll stay that way, I promise."

"You can't. She has always been too stubborn to listen to us and nothing has changed. She will leave again."

"She won't trust me. I don't know what it is she's up to but I have a feeling the princess will find a way to convince her to stay."

"I hope so..."

"Of course you do. You love her."

Dastan had half expected protest from his friend but none came from his mouth. When Bis looked up at him, a crooked smile appeared on his face. It had always been sort of an open secret between the three of them that Bis was in love with Keyla. Dastan knew and he was sure Keyla knew as well but she had never even said a single word about it...

"Is it that obvious?"

"Not to her I fear."

"That doesn't matter. As long as she's fine.."

There was no reproach in Bis's voice even though he would have every right and reason for it. It had been because of Dastan's demand that Keyla had been injured. But she was stubborn and she wouldn't have done it and met his demand if she hadn't wanted to. Dastan had to smile. Everything was fine... By some sort of miracle he couldn't quite explain everything was truly fine... Keyla was here, she would heal and Tamina had not been hurt. All was good...

"That she is."


	27. Chapter 26

**Here's the next chapter for you guys. Believe it or not, but we're nearing the end :-P. Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Hope you like it :-) **

When Keyla woke again, she was alone. Dastan - she remembered - had gone to tell Tamina and it seemed bis had finally given in to his exhaustion and had gone to sleep. Looking to the doorway that lead to the balcony she could see it had to be the middle of the night already. She could see the stars in the dark sky outside through the thin curtains. A few torches illuminated the room she was in, casting unsteady shadows on the wall.

She felt weak but not exactly tired any more. She would have liked to get up and maybe walk around a little, step out onto the balcony and enjoy the cool night air but she knew she was not supposed to get up and for once she was willing to listen to her friends. Her injured leg throbbed and there would probably be pain if she tried to put pressure on it... If she would not be able to walk on her own and fell and Dastan and Bis would find her helpless on the ground the next morning she would never hear the end of it... staying in bed definitely was the safest option...

She tried to relax but she could not bring herself to close her eyes and fall asleep again. So much had happened in the last couple of days since she had come to Alamut... It was hard to actually believe it... She sighed softly and debated the idea of getting up once again. Her mind was quickly occupied by something else though when she believed to see a shadow moving in the semidark of the room... It was getting closer and in that moment Keyla wished for some kind of weapon... But only until she realized who it was that was sneaking up on her.

"Princess?"

Princess Tamina smiled at her and sat down on her bed carefully. Somehow Keyla had not expected the princess to show up here and she wasn't even sure why that was. Dastan had told her the princess had asked about her but Keyla had beenn sure it was only curtesy... She only had vague memories of the attack on her and the fight but she knew Tamina had saved her life, not the other way round... For her to be here now... it actually surprised Keyla and the smile on the princess's face surprised her even more.

"I would really like it if you call me Tamina. I think saving my life like that earns you that."

She was smiling mischievously and Keyla knew the princess wasn't being serious. She hadn't meant that Keyla actually needed to earn the right to call her by her name instead of her title. She felt strangely befriended to the woman she had only met a couple of days ago and to her own surprise she liked that feeling. But she could not let the statement just linger like that. She had never done aynthing to save the other woman's life. Keyla shook her head softly.

"Well then, Tamina, I did not save your life. You managed to do that all by yourself."

"You risked your life for me, Keyla. I can never make that up to you ever."

"You don't need to."

Keyla felt embarrassed hearing the Alamutian princess thank her like this and she wondered if Dastan had anything to do with this late night visit. She didn't dare to ask though. She didn't want to insult Tamina. The two just sat in the dark in silence for a long moment and Keyla didn't know what to do or say right now. She had never really been good at this small talk thing and even though Dastan had been adopted by king Sharaman she had no idea how to talk to royalty. She had always stayed away from the Persian royal family and with Dastan it was different...

She glanced at the princess from time to time, hoping she would be the first to say something because Keyla's mind felt like it was completely blank at the moment. She felt almost relieved when Tamina finally looked at her with a thoughtful expression on her face. Her change of subjects however took Keyla by surprise.

"I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?"

"A job offer to be exact." 

Keyla sighed soundlessly. She really didn't mean to insult the princess or hurt her feelings in any way but whatever this job offer she was talking about was about, Keyla just knew she couldn't do it. It was the one thing she had fought Dastan about all these years back when he had offered her and Bis a place along the royal family. She had never wanted this and she didn't want it would never work for nobility - not ever. She couldn't. She shook her head gently and offered a smile to Tamina.

"Dastan obviously never told you much about me."

"No he didn't."

"Well if he had you would know that I'm not very fond of palaces and royalty. I was offered a place at the palace in Nasaf once and I declined."

"This is different."

"Why? Are you not the royal leader of this land and are you not asking me to move into the palace to become your servant?"

"No. I ask you to become my guardian."

Keyla was taken completely off guard by the suggestion. The Alamutian princess truly wanted her for her guard? Her personal guardian? That didn't make any sense ... She hadn't been able to protect her from the traitor, had actually needed Tamina's help to stay alive and still she wanted her to protect her. This had to be some kind of mistake or maybe a very elaborate joke Keyla just didn't understand. She shook her head in disbelieve.

"But that's crazy! You have palace guards and soldiers both Alamutian and Persian. What would you need me for?"

"You have already proven yourself capable of protecting both me and prince Dastan from harm. And unlike any of the Persian soldiers in my city, I do trust you."

"But that's not all there is to it, am I right?" 

Keyla couldn't tell where the sudden realization came from but she just knew there was more to it than Tamina was actually willing to tell her. It was something in the princess's demeanor, something in her voice that told Keyla it was not only about this job offer. She curiously looked at the princess half expected her to deny it but instead Tamina shook her head slowly, looking for the right words to say to explain.

"No. It's hard to explain... Ever since I met prince Dastan I felt that he knew more about me than he should, that there was some sort of connection between us I should know about but did not... I want a chance to... even it out."

"And that's what you want me for?"

"You have known him all your life, Keyla. You grew up with him, you have been through a lot with him. You could tell me stories about him."

"Good and bad ones, yes."

"I know it's a strange thing to ask of you but I want to be honest. I don't only want you as my guardian but as a confidant, somebody I can rely on, somebody who will help me get to know and understand the man I agreed to marry... Would you be willing to do that for me?"

Keyla took a deep breath. The princess was flattering her with her words but Keyla was sure Tamina knew that. She felt a little but like a traitor herself now - like she was betraying the trust Dastan had in her. Of course that was nonesense because he and Tamina were to be married and if he didn't want Keyla to stay there was no way Tamina would make him change his mind. Keyla was sure he had been aware of the princess's plans at least to a certain extent. But still she was not sure if this was a good idea...

"I... I don't know..."

Silence fell between them as Keyla took a moment to gather her thoughts. She just wasn't sure what to feel, what to think... this whole proposal had come completely unexpected for her and she couldn't just decide from one minute to the next. She needed time...

"I have never wanted a life at the palace. Dastan offered it to me when the king first took him in but I declined. I was furious with him for even suggesting it because I did NOT want to be a servant to the royal family. The king had adopted him but all I would have been was some... streetwise upstage everybody would look down on and would smile about. I didn't want that, I wouldn't have been able to take it... And I... I couldn't serve the Persian royal family even if that meant leaving my two best friends in the world..."

"Why?"

"It's..."

She had been about to say that it was none of her business but Keyla kept that comment to herself. Tamina wasn't trying to intrude, she just tried to understand her and Keyla had no right to insult her like this. Maybe Tamina treated her like an equal, like a friend even but she was and always would be a princess and the rooyal leader of this city. She would always have to be caredul with her choice of words around her and that was exactly what Keyla did right now - chosing her words wisely.

"... nothing I would want to talk about."

"But this is not the Persian royal family. This is Alamut. You would be serving me and you would be with your friends. Isn't it worth to at least think about it?"

"Actually, you're right. It is. And I will."

Tamina nodded, a satisfied little smile appearing on her face and gently squeezed Keyla's hand before getting up from her bed. Keyla wasn't sure how to feel in that moment.. It was a little awkward to her as she felt like the princess firmly believed she would agree to her proposal but Keyla really meant what she had said. She needed to think about this... Tamina's voice showed neither triumph nor impatience though - just friendliness and that meant to calm Keyla a little.

"I will leave you alone then. I will be back in the morning. Sleep well, Keyla."

"Good night, pri... Tamina..." 


	28. Chapter 27

**Here's the next chapter for you guys. Still nearing the end :-P. Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Hope you like it :-) **

*4 years ago - Nasaf*

Keyla had slept in this morning. She usually didn't do that because being late at the market meant a greater number of guards patrolling and a higher risk of being caught when she went to... obtain her breakfast. In her case that mostly meant stealing something - a little fruit, a loaf of bread - if she hadn't come across money in some way. Today however she knew there was no need for her to go to the market and fight through yet another day. Today her breakfast - and every other meal of the day for that matter - would be provided for her. For once she would not have to cheat and lie and still and fight. For once she would just be enjoying. It was only a day though. Tomorrow everything would be back to normal.

The sun was already high up in the sky when she woke. It had to be ten in the morning at least. She knew she wouldn't have to wait for long now. Soon they would be here - the only two people she fully trusted in her life... Her friends. They would come to visit her and spent the day with her. It wasn't like it was exactly something special because they spent their days together whenever they had a chance but still - today it was her day.

Keyla got up and went through her usual morning routine of making her bed, cleaning herself up and getting dressed. When she was done she climbed up the ladder that lead to the roof of the ruin she called her home and just sat there in the morning light. She had closed her eyes enjoying the rays of sunlight and had almost yelped in surprise when two strong hands were placed on her shoulders. She had never even heard anyone approach.

She looked up half amused, half angry and found both dastan and Bis standing behind her, grinning down at her. Keyla groaned and hid back a curse she had been about to throw at them. She got up from where she had been sitting any actually yelped this time when Dastan pulled her into a tight hug. A warm feeling settled in the pit of her stomach when she heard the affection and joy sounding from his voice.

"Happy birthday."

"Thank you..."

Keyla actually allowed herself to relax and enjoy the hug. She didn't usually do this. With the life she had chosen to live it was best to always have one's guard up and not trust anyone. But she knew that with Dastan and Bis it was different. She could trust them with her life. The worst they ever would do was tease her and today they wouldn't even do that. After all it was her birthday. When Dastan let go of her, Bis took the advantage to hug her as well, grinning brightly when he announced what Keyla had already known and still had not expected.

"We brought presents for you."

"You shouldn't have gotten me anything."

"You say that every year."

They were both reacting in unison and with yet another grin and Keyla rolled her eyes at the two of them. One would have assumed she had actually gotten used to it after all those years but they managed to drive her up the wall every damn year when they kept bringing her presents even though she clearly stated she didn't want any. She was happy for their company and the food they brought but of course they never listened. This year was no exception.

"And I MEAN it every year."

"We're men, Keyla. You should know that we never listen to a woman's advice and we hardly ever learn from out mistakes."

Keyla had to bite her tongue to not come up with a remark that would have been sarcastic or maybe even insulting. But there was no need for that. Dastan gladly took that responsibility from her, grinning at both Bis and her.

"Which is the reason why Garsiv still leads his cavalry into battle head on every time even though he knows it makes for higher losses among his men and it's the reason why Tus still tries to find a common ground with the last woman he agreed to marry instead of realizing that she is a bitter, loveless hag and will never develop anything close to a feeling for anyone or anything. And it's the reason why poor Bis here will never learn to not drink and gamble at the same time even though he knows he always makes a fool of himself when he does."

Bis stared at Dastan for a long moment and Keyla almost chocked as she tried to hide back a chuckle. It was obvious this little piece of information had not been one for Keyla to know about. She could clearly see the embarrassment on Bis's face and she thought he was actually being kind of cute looking like that. Of course he did not want to let Dastan get away with what he had just said about him but before he had a chance for a response, Dastan had interrupted him already, a playfully warning glance in his eyes.

"And it's the reason Dastan..."

"Stop right there. You wouldn't want to insult a prince of Persia, would you?"

"But you just did!"

"They're my brothers. I have a right to mock."

Keyla enjoyed the show thoroughly watching as her two closest friends bickered like an old, married couple. She just stood there, watching, feeling that warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach that told her how much those two and their seemingly always sunny and carefree demeanor meant to her.

"Great. See what I have to put up with all day long? Spoiled brat!"

"Peasant!"

Keyla raised both hands in defeat, willing them to stop. She was sure they would engage in some sort of fight if she let this go on for too long and even though it would all be meant in fun she did not need for either one of them to fall down from the roof of her ruined house - especially not on her birthday.

"Stop it! You're acting like children! Now shut up and give me my presents."

"See, I told you she would stop protesting and take the present instead if only we bickered long and loudly enough."

"Idiots, both of you."

She didn't mean her words in a harsh way but sometimes those two just managed to get on her nerves far too easily. She did the only sensible thing she could and snatched the wrapped up present Bis had pulled from under his robes away from him before he had a chance for any words of protest. Her present was wrapped in a piece of light blue silk that she discarded without giving it a second look. Any other woman probably would have thought of the piece of cloth as beautiful but Keyla had no eyes for such things. She had grown up in a rough environment where beauty meant little to nothing. The present she unwrapped though left her speechless for a moment.

"I know it's kind of..."

Bis was trying to step in, misinterpreting her silence for rejection. It was not. Keyla shook her head, staring at he present she held in hands. It was a leather belt, a little too broad for a woman but it was not meant to be worn because it looked pretty but to be used in the way it had been designed. It was a weapon's belt, easily holding at least two swords and two daggers which meant Keyla finally had a chance not to have to store the weapons she always left the house with whenever she went out halfway down her pants. She interrupted Bis before he could say anything negative about her present, looking from on friend to another, gratefulness in her eyes.

"It's beautiful!"

"See! I told you she would like it!"

"But it's so... practical. You're a girl, you should get something nice and shiny."

Keyla looked at Bis with a frown. Sometimes it was just too easy to tell that he was in love with her. She had never let that affect her though. She couldn't. She liked him but as nothing more than a friend and she did not ever want to destroy that by trying to love him or telling him off. Pretending she didn't know had always been the best option in her eyes... Sometimes however it was tricky - as in situation such as this one where she tried hard to find a response that did not hurt his feelings. She grinned softly.

"I'm a girl living in the slums of the royal city. Something nice and shiny would be completely useless and would probably get me killed. This however is a great gift, a useful gift."

"I told him... At least now you have a proper chance to store your dagger and sword away."

"Did you pick?"

"I picked, Bis bickered."

Keyla had to chuckle seeing the way Bis looked at Dastan now like he was about ready to throw his friend off the roof. It was the second time within minutes Dastan had managed to embarrass his friend. Obviously he was in a good mood today. Keyla liked that. She grinned at Bis who quickly relaxed and then shared a look with both her friends. She didn't have much practice with saying thanks but for this, she gladly did.

"Good to know you're able to share responsibility. Thanks you so much. I really like it."

"You're welcome."

They settled down on the rooftop after Keyla had gone back to her room for a couple of moments to store away her gift. Today was not a day she would need a weapon's belt. For her the relaxing part of the day started now that they unpacked and enjoyed the food her two friends had snatched away from the palace. She especially loved the pastries they bought every year and the fact that they seemed to get bigger each year told her the palace's cook knew it was her birthday today.

They spent the entire day outside on the rooftop, eating, drinking, talking, joking and laughing. It was the one day in a year Keyla felt completely happy and at ease with her life and she made the most of this day, enjoying it at best she could. They stayed up late until the sky was dark and only lit by the stars. Keyla would have wished for this day to go on forever, just as she had wished upon every birthday in the past and probably would wish upon every birthday in the future and as always, Dastan asked her the same question he always did when her special day was coming to an end. Her heartfelt answer was just the same as all the previous years.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

"Yes, I did. It was... perfect. Thank you, both of you. You are truly the best friends a girl can have..."


	29. Chapter 28

**Here's the next chapter for you guys. Second to last chapter – one more to come :-) Thanks for all your feedback. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Hope you like it :-) **

After Tamina had left her bedside, Keyla had been awake for another 2 hours debating what to do and how to decide on the princess's proposal. It was her dream though that made it easy for her to decide. She couldn't leave. If that dream - that memory of a few years back - had showed her one thing, it was that she had the very best friends anyone could wish for and she couldn't leave them behind. While Dastan had still resided in the royal palace in Nasaf, she had seen her friends on a regular basis. But now - with Dastan marrying Tamina and most definitely staying here in Alamut, chances to see either him or Bis would be slim. Keyla didn't want that. She wanted to stay in contact with her friends even if that meant going against one of her most basic believes. Her friends meant more to her than that.

She had never given it much thought before as she had always declined that choice but now that she would actually be a part of a royal palace's life, she wondered what it would be like. She hated luxury - to the extent that she couldn't stand the unnecissity of surrounding oneself with fickle, shiny things that had no purpose at al other than to look pretty. She had always been a very practical woman herself - had to be given the life she lived.

Somehow she felt Tamina knew that, had maybe even seen it as a quality in her. Certainly she wouldn't get a fancy chamber at the palace and a gold trimmed armor to wear and parade around every day. She was sure it would be much... simpler, much more suiting for her character... Or at least that was what she hoped for. As much as she wanted to stay close to her friends, if this life didn't suite her and made her feel like she was giving up the very essence of her being, she would abandon it without a second thought. Maybe the life she had didn't look like much to the outside world but it was HER life and she liked it...

She had never been good at following anyone's advice and she had never - not once before - needed to follow orders. Thinking about it now though that was exactly what she had done when Dastan had wanted her to go back to the palace to protect Tamina. He had done as he had told and it hadn't hurt... Maybe - with time and a little routine to it - she woudl be able to do so on a daily basis... The idea actually seemed sort of... appealing to her. One thing was for sure with this job Tamina had offered her. Her life would be a lot more... stable here... she was interrupted all of a sudden when a servant assiged to the physician's quarters all dressed in white appeared next to her bed.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Hungry."

"I will get you some breakfast..." 

Keyla had said the first thing coming to her mind, being caught off guard as she had been ripped out of her thoughts like that. She was surprised by the genuine friendliness and helpfulness the female servant displayed and she thought it was a good chance to ask her for help. After all she wasn't allowed to get up yet and even if she would have been, she was sure she wouldn't have gotten very far. She needed to talk to Tamina though. She needed to tell her her decision.

"Breakfast sounds good... Could you please ask for the princess to visit me. She expects an answer to a question she asked me. She will know what it is about."

"But..."

"I know I probably don't make much of any sense to you, but..."

"Oh no, you do. You did save the princess's life and I'm sure she wants to talk to you. But the physician said you need to rest..."

Keyla frowned. She had not expected the servants to be so nice to her. After all wanting to talk to the royal leader of this land was not something one just asked for - or did granted for that matter. But it seemed the whole palace knew she had been the one to at least try and keep Tamina out of harms way and - apart from those who had dissolved in treachery against her and Dastan - the Alamutians were very glad and happy she had done so. She was treated with... respect and that was something Keyla had almost never before experienced in her life. An almost shy smile spread on her face as she tried to convince the servant to meet her wish.

"Well I am. I'm lying down. I'm not moving, I'm not running. I just need to talk to her."

"I will send someone to tell her."

"Thanks."

A friendly smile and a short nod from the servant were the response Keyla got and then the young woman hurried to leave. She turned her head and could see her talk to a guard at the door. They were out of earshot but when the guard nodded and left, Keyla was sure he was going to get Tamina - or at least find somebody close to her to get the message to her. Either way she was sure the princess would be here soon.

Keyla - indeed - didn't have to wait for long. She had just finished her breakfast the servant had brought to her - helping her sit up in bed so that she could eat properly - when the princess arrived. Keyla placed the tray on the ground next to her bed when she saw Tamina enter the chamber, leaving a little bit of space for the princess to sit down. It seemed she had hurried, obviously eager to find out what Keyla had decided, and was now swiftly walking over to her. A soft smile lay on her face but she couldn't hide the sparkle of slight nervousness in her eyes.

"Keyla? I was told you had asked for me..."

"Yeah."

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"We both know what I wanted to talk to you about."

Keyla hadn't meant to sound harsh or rude but she felt there was no need to beat around the bush here. She was sure Tamina was very well aware of why she had been summoned here. After all she had told Keyla last night she would be back in the morning, expecting her decision. Tamina gave her a soft nod, cutting the curtesies down to a minimum and coming straight to the point instead. It seemed the princess was just as eager to hear Keyla's decision as she was telling her.

"Did you decide?"

"Yes."

"And..."

"I will stay."

A smile appeared on the princess's lips as soon as Keyla uttered the words. She had managed to make Tamina happy and somehow that seemed odd to Keyla... But she knew it wasn't just because she had agreed to be a guardian. Tamina now had somebody who could help her understand her husband better... and Keyla was sure Tamina was also happy for Dastan After all she had managed to convince one of her future husbands oldest friends to stay close to him. Tamina rested a soft hand on Keyla's lower arm, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you, Keyla. I know this sounds like a promise I should not make but... you will not regret this."

"We will see about that. I told you I'm not cut out for palaces and fancy stuff and royalty..."

Tamina did not let her finish, shaking her head with a vehemence Keyla had not expected. It seemed Dastan's believe that a life at the palace was indeed what would have been rightfully hers to take had seeped right through and managed to infect Tamina. Why else would she be fighting her on this matter after only knowing her for a couple of days? To Keyla's own surprise what Tamina did have to say to her actually made sense...

"Stop acting like you do not belong here. You saved my life, Dastan's life. You're one of the oldest and best friends he has. You DO belong here."

"I sure hope so..."

"Trust me."

Tamina was smiling now and Keyla couldn't help but to smile back at her. She was anything but convinced but she was willing to put high hopes to the fact that maybe the Alamutian princess was right. Her decision had been made now and - as her two best friends liked to tease her so often - now that her decision was set, she would not change it. She was willing to give this a try. A little faith could not hurt in the process... Keyla leaned back down on the pillows supporting her back.

"I will try, princess. I will try."


	30. Chapter 29

**Okay... Here it is – the final chapter of the story. Thanks to everyone who read and a special thanks to all of you who left a review and told me how much they liked the story. As I am currently occupied with other fanfiction stuff (different topic, different language :-P) I'm not sure if there will be a new story... If you want one you can tell me and I'll see what I can do. Thanks again and here's the last part for you :-):**

*Two weeks later*

Keyla's recovery had been going very well but it was only a week since she had been allowed to leave the bed. The physician had been very strict on that and for once in her life Keyla had been patient and had done as she had been told. She did not plan on prolonging the forced rest any longer than necessary and as unnerving as it had been to spend an entire week in bed, it had been strangely comfortable as well. She had visitors to keep her company and people to bring her food and whatever else she needed. It had been a nice change to her normal routine...

When she had told both Dastan and Bis about her decision to stay, her friends had been thrilled. They seemed overjoyed and excited at the prospect of having her around all the time and they had managed to get on her nerves with that kind of boyish attitude a whole lot. But she was happy to see them so joyful over her decision. She knew it had been what they had wanted all along - ever since they had been children. Now she had finally done what was the right thing in their opinion. Keyla just hoped it would turn out to be just that for her as well.

A lot had been going on in those past two weeks. King Sharaman had arrived the very same evening of the day both she and Dastan had been injured and he had agreed to the union of Dastan and Tamina. He had met the princess and wedding preparations had started. The traitors - the merchants and all those they had hired to be a part in their scheming - had been sentenced and punished in all secrecy. Most of the citizens of Alamut weren't even aware what treachery had transpired against the Persian prince and their royal leader and Tamina wanted it to stay that way. It still grieved her that her own people had been willing to kill Dastan and her but now those men had gotten what they deserved and she truly hoped no such thing would ever happen again.

By the time Keyla had been able to finally get out of bed the traitors had been dead already - executed for their crime - and the wedding preparations were in full flow. Now they were done... Right at the moment she was anything but sure about her decision to stay though. Her injury had fully healed and so had Dastan's but right now both of them wished to be anywhere but in the situation they were in. Even another fight or a sickbed would have been preferable. Keyla stared at her reflection in the polished silver mirror and sighed for the utmost time before groaning in frustration.

"I feel like an idiot..."

"You agreed to be a palace guard. This is a palace guard's uniform. What exactly is it you are complaining about?"

Keyla gave Dastan, who had appeared behind her, a dirty stare. She hated it when she teased him like that especially about something that was angering her as much as this. She had told Tamina she wasn't one for luxury and fickle displays of nobility of any kind. She was sure the alamutian princess had done this on purpose... Actually she believed both Dastan and Bis hadn't been completely innocent when it had come to the decision about her uniform in her new job... But seeing the miserable expression on her friend's face as he had a quick look at his own reflection now, made her refrain from starting a discussion about it. She couldn't help the slightly reproachful tone in her voice though.

"It has beads on it! And embroidery!"

"Well I guess Tamina made sure one could tell you are a woman and made sure the uniform looked a little more... girly..."

"Just great... I look like a stuffed peacock!"

Dastan gave her a look that was somewhere between reproach and amusement and looked down at the clothes he was supposed to wear today. Keyla had to grin before he even said anything. She never would have said it out loud because this was a very special day for him and he was probably nervous but he looked ridiculous. But this was his wedding day and it seemed a little bit of glamour was a part of any royal wedding.

Still she wasn't sure if the several layers of rather brightly colored and heavily embroided silk were truly necessary. She had never seen him wear anything like this - not in 15 years of being an adopted son to a king and a prince of the Persian empire. Dastan had always been comfortable with a rather simple choice in clothes - of course he was, it was what he had grown up with. She could tell how uncomfortable he felt just by looking at him and even though she knew it wasn't nice of her, she couldn't help but tease a little.

"Are you truly going to argue with me who of the two of us is looking more ridiculous today?"

"Alright, you win."

Saying he was unhappy with her response would have been the understatement of the year. Keyla did not even try to hide back her chuckle but stepped out of the way, giving Dastan a chance to have a closer look. He sighed again staring at his reflection in the mirror that looked completely unlike him... He reminded himself that it was just one day. But still he didn't like it.

"I feel so much better now."

"Oh stop worrying! It's your wedding day! You should be happy..."

"I am happy... and nervous... and I hate these clothes."

"Just try to concentrate on the happy part."

He gave her a look that clearly told Keyla it was better for her to keep her comments to herself if she wanted to live through this day. Dastan abandoned the mirror muttering under his breath and even though she couldn't understand a single word, Keyla was sure he was cursing. She watched him roam around the room with a soft smile on her face. Her voice was soft as she tried her best to distract him. Actually there was something very important she had to tell him...

"Dastan..."

"What is it?"

Dastan winced at his own tone of voice. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh. But he was nervous and he was anything but good company to anyone today. He just hoped the nervousness would subside once the wedding ceremony would start. Keyla however didn't seem to mind or she was just very understanding of him and his situation today. She was still smiling and Dastan's mind actually slipped away from the nervousness when he concentrated on her. He had no idea why he hadn't realized it before but he had never seen Keyla so... at peace with herself than she seemed to be right now.

"I'm glad I decided to stay."

"So am I. I... we - Tamina, Bis AND I - didn't want you to go. It would have felt like losing you..."

It wasn't the first time he told her this - actually it had been the very first thing he had told her after having found out she would stay and had accepted Tamina's offer - but she could hear him tell her this over and over again. She felt flattered that it meant so much to him. It made her smile.

"I know. That's what I thought. I would barely ever have seen you again had I gone back to Nasaf and you would have stayed here. It wouldn't have been worth it - not even over my precious pride."

"I'm glad we agree on that."

"Idiot..."

"Obviously. Why else would I allow the woman I'm about to marry to make a fool out of me by having me stuffed into this ridiculous outfit."

Keyla chuckled, looking back at her own robe. She still felt like she was wearing a costume instead of a uniform. The cream white color of the dress, the gold embroidery, the stupid beads... She looked like a wrapped up wedding present... But Dastan certainly was worse off and therefor she decided not to go on and about with complains yet again. Instead she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"She did the same with me, you know..."

"Well at least I'm not suffering on my own."

He was grinning at her but Keyla didn't fall for his teasing. Not this time. She didn't do this very often but - after having made such a big, potentially life changing decision and with this being one of the most important days of Dastan's life - she felt it was the right moment to be both heartfelt and a little philosophical. She smiled at him, her voice full of warmth and sincerity.

"You won't ever be alone - not with anything you do. I will be there. Always."

"I know I don't tell you this very often but... you're the best friend one could wish for."

"Right back at you."

They just looked at each other for a long moment neither one of them knowing what to say next. They were friends and they could trust each other blindly but they knew this and saying it out loud wasn't something they did very often. Keyla had to grin as Dastan watched the clothes he had been forced to wear once again - sighing. She patted him on the shoulder and gently pushed him towards the doorway of his chamber.

"Come on now, you wouldn't want to be late for your own wedding."

He shook his head no with a soft grin appearing on his face as well now. He rested his hand on hers for a quick moment before going ahead with Keyla following after him. As they left the chamber. She felt... at home... Through all her years of denying it, Keyla had come up with a routine of... lying to herself. But now that she had finally excepted what was offered to her, she had to realize she had been wrong all those time. Royalty or not, her best friends - Bis and Dastan - where the ones she belonged to and that was where she was right now. She was, where she rightfully belonged...

THE END


End file.
